The One That Got Away
by BlueJays-97
Summary: They both were panting hard. "Bubbles, you have to choose, it's either me or him?" Butch pointed to his younger brother who was on the ground and badly beaten. She sighed nervously, struggling to keep her tears at bay, how was she supposed to decide when she had feelings for both of them... AU ButchXBubblesXBoomer
1. Chapter 1

**I changed the title and description because I decided I didn't like the old one. It's the same story but just a different title and summary. So I hope you enjoy and the story covers all of the PPG and RRB not just Bubbles, Boomer, and Butch.**

**R&R**

The clock screeched, signaling it was time to wake up. Bubbles grunted and rolled over to turn off her alarm. It was 9 am on a Saturday, a little late for her but this wasn't any ordinary Saturday, this was the day Bubbles turned 21. She was officially an adult now and she couldn't have been any happier.

Bubbles rolled over to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling. 21 years of being alive, she was getting old, and it seemed like just yesterday she was graduating high school and now she was a junior in college. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, her bed squeaking as she slipped her feet into her light blue Hello Kitty slippers. Bubbles stood up and stretched grunting a very unfeminine noise. Then, Bubbles walked out of her room to take a shower. Showers always relaxed her. The warm water running down her body and the nice clean feeling you get afterwards and it was a good time to think about stuff. Bubbles got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself and her hair. Then she walked to her room, whistling, and tried to pick an outfit for the day. She sighed, after 10 minutes of looking she was growing hopeless. Eventually Bubbles decided on wearing a white blouse with a light blue cardigan and dark blue skinny jeans with tan Uggs. Bubbles then finished drying her hair and left her room. Bubbles walked into her little kitchen to find her roommate, Brianna, eating some cinnamon toast crunch.

"Good morning Brianna." Bubbles greeted.

"Good morning Bubbles and happy birthday! You're finally 21, so tonight we're going to the club okay?" She said with her mouth full of cereal while hugging Bubbles.

"Ha-ha, okay okay," Bubbles giggled," but I have to meet my sisters at the cafe for lunch or breakfast, brunch? Yeah brunch."

"Well alright, but when you get back I'm taking you to Radcliff tonight."

"Okay, well I gotta go."

"Really, where are you going?" Brianna asked. Really she already knew because it was only 10:30, a little too early for Bubbles to be going to brunch with her sisters.

"Oh you know... to Boomer's room." Bubbles blushed and started leaning back and forth on her feet. She didn't really like to talk about her relationships with other people.

"Okay well have fun." Brianna said.

One thing she knew was that she didn't like Boomer. He was so preppy and innocent, just like Bubbles, and that's why she did not like him. No guy should be that much alike to his girlfriend and they even had the same hair color and blue eyes! It was like they could have been brother and sister if someone didn't know they were going out.  
>Brianna turned around, going back to her cereal, as Bubbles left closing the door quietly behind her.<p>

Buttercup woke up feeling nauseas. Her stomach was in knots as she got up and tried to eat. As she started to munch on her first bite of cereal Buttercup felt bile come up in her throat and ran to the bathroom, just in time to get to the toilet. She flushed the toilet and slumped against the opposite wall, exhausted. This happened two days ago too and Buttercup was starting to suspect that this was not a stomach virus.  
>Buttercup looked at the clock on the wall, 11:00; she had to meet her sisters at the cafe at 11:30. Actually this was early for her but she got up because it was her youngest sister, Bubbles, 21st birthday. Buttercup had turned 21 ten months before and now it was Bubbles turn.<p>

Buttercup stroked her hand through her hair, trying to make it less knotty, she needed a shower. Buttercup took off her clothes and turned the water on to a nice temperature. She stepped in and let the warm water run over her body, washing her worries away down the drain. She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, leaving to go to her bedroom. There, she brushed her shoulder length black hair, it looking a bit shinier and healthier than it was before. Buttercup put on some clothes, black skinny jeans, a green tank top and some black and green converse. Buttercup left her room to see her roommate, Stacey, walking in. She worked at the campus cafe so this must have been her break. Buttercup was okay with Stacey, they weren't exactly friends though, just roommates.

"Hey Buttercup. You're up early." Stacey greeted.

"Yeah well I got to go meet my sisters at the cafe so that's why I'm up." She wasn't going to tell about how she also woke up because she was nauseas.

"Yeah well its 11:30 now-"

"IT'S 11:30!" Buttercup interrupted. She looked at the clock; it read 11:31 now. "Oh shit, I'm late!"

"Ha-ha, same old Buttercup." Stacey said.

"Yeah okay well bye." Buttercup said while grabbing her keys and rushing out the door but not before catching a glance at her unfinished bowl of cereal, a sense of foreboding washing over her as she closed the door.

Blossom eyes fluttered open, slowly focusing to figure out she wasn't in her own bed. She felt arms wrapped around her body and that's when she realized she wasn't the only one in this bed. Immediately memories from last night flooded her mind.

_Blossom was heading over to Brick's room across campus to work on a project. Blossom didn't like Brick, or so she said, but really she did like him deep down. Brick was handsome, no hot to a lot of girls. Brick was on the football team, got good grades, and was in the same psychology class as Blossom. They had to do a project on human behaviors in certain situations so of course the professor had to pair Blossom and Brick together, the two top students__in the class who happened to hate each other working together on a project, great._

_She reached Brick's building and found his room on the third floor, room 309._

_Blossom knocked on the door and waited, smoothing out her gray mini skirt and checking her white belt to see if it had came undone. Even though this was Brick, she still wanted to look presentable. She was smoothing out some__wrinkles from her pink t-shirt with a white heart in the center when Brick opened the door.__Brick obviously had just gotten out of the shower since his hair was still wet and clung to his head. Really, Blossom had to admit he was attractive standing there with his gym shorts on and no shirt, showing his toned muscles and clearly defined abs, but that didn't mean she was going to give him the satisfaction of showing him he looked good._

_"What are_you_doing here?" Brick asked rather rudely._

_"Weren't we assigned to do a project together last week?" Blossom answered._

_"Yeah and? It's due in like three weeks."_

_"So," Blossom was starting to get annoyed with him asking stupid questions, like really did he have common sense, "that means we have three weeks to write a ten page paper on a human behavior we haven't even picked yet. I think we should get started, now will you let me in?"__Brick shrugged and moved aside letting Blossom in. Blossom was surprised by how neat his room was since he was a boy. She sat down on his couch and pulled out a notebook and a pen from her white purse. Brick sat down across for her and waited for her to start._

_"Oh and Brick before we start can you put a shirt on, cause you're not cute." Blossom said._

_Brick smirked, "What? Do you find me distracting?"_

_"Yeah right," Blossom rolled her eyes, "get over yourself."_

_"Then why do you want me to put a shirt on? It is my place after all."_

_"Because," Blossom started, "I'm not here to play games and if you won't put a shirt on then I'll just leave."_

_Brick thought it over, "Well alright, just for you honey." Blossom rolled her eyes as Brick smirked and went to put on a shirt.  
>Brick came back in a plain white v-neck t-shirt that clung to his body rather well. He sat down, leaned back and started talking.<em>

_"So what human behavior are we doing?"_

_"I was thinking either sexual intercourse or kissing. Personally I like kissing more as a topic because it's more original." Blossom answered._

_Brick smirked when she said "sexual intercourse" because it was so cute that she didn't just say "sex"."Yeah I'm fine with 'kissing' as our topic." Brick answered._

_"Okay, good." Blossom wrote it down in her notebook._

_"So," Brick moved over to sit next to Blossom, "while we're talking about kissing have you kissed anybody before?"_

_Blossom was surprised, what kind of question was this and why was he asking her?__"Umm, yes I have."_

_"Really, who was it with?" Brick retorted, really why was he asking her these questions._

_"It was with my ex-boyfriend, Dexter."_

_"So only one boyfriend huh, well-"_

_"I could of had more!" Blossom interrupted. "Guys ask me out all the time, I just say no."_

_Brick smirked, "Oh really, I bet you I get asked out much more than you do."_

_"Yeah right I get asked out more times in a day than you do in a week." Blossom retorted, really she bet that didn't happen. She barely got asked out, maybe once a month and usually they were nerds. Darn her ego._

_"Ok then, so if you get asked out more than me how about we make a bet. Whoever gets asked out the most in a week has to do the whole project, ok?" Brick got close to Blossom's face and put his arm over her shoulders, waited for her answer. She blushed a little._

_"Alright, it's a deal." She answered getting right back into his face and staring at him. They held that for a minute, the tension between them so thick you could slice it with a butter knife, when__Brick lunged forward and kissed Blossom, passionately, and pushed her down on the couch. Blossom was surprised, not expecting this to happen. She wanted to push him away but the part of her that liked him wanted this, wanted more of this. Blossom closed her eyes and tangled her hands in his hair, deepening the kiss. Brick completely laid down on top of her and Blossom put her hands in his shirt, trying to take it off. He separated from the kiss to lift his arms up as Blossom took off his shirt. She pulled him back down to continue their kiss and Brick picked her up and she clung to him, all while holding the kiss. Brick carried her over to his bedroom and closed the door, pushing her down onto the bed._

Damn, how could she let herself succumb to his charm, even if she did like it, this couldn't happen again. Blossom pried his arms off her, Brick rolling over and going back to sleep, and got out of bed to pick up her clothes. Blossom looked at the phone in her purse to find it was 11:20; she had to be at the cafe at 11:30! Blossom rushed to put on her clothes and quickly brushed her hair with the brush in her purse and put on some quick make-up. Blossom left Brick's room and ran to the cafe, it was 11:25 and she hated to be late.

Bubbles was outside Boomer's room and knocked on the door, waiting for him to answer. Mark, Boomer's roommate, opened the door in his pajamas.  
>"Oh, it's just you." Mark said flatly. "Come on in." Mark went back to watching television as Bubbles came in and closed the door. She saw Boomer in his kitchen eating cereal and went over to him.<p>

"Good morning Boomie." Bubbles said. Boomer looked up from his cereal to find Bubbles standing in front of him, smiling. He smiled back at her, not expecting her to come this early.  
>Boomer got up and went over to her and then he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. Bubbles kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck, making the kiss a little deeper than before. They broke the kiss after thirty seconds but Boomer still held her close, refusing to let her go.<p>

"Happy birthday." He whispered only loud enough for her to hear.

Bubbles smiled, said "Thanks" and Boomer let her go, going back to his wonderful breakfast of cereal and milk. Bubbles sat down across from him and Boomer started talking.

"So," he said with his mouth half full, "what are you doing today for your birthday?"

"Well," Bubbles replied, "I'm going to the cafe for brunch with my sisters after I leave here, and then I'm going to Radcliff with Brianna tonight."

"Ohh, miss fancy 21 year old is going to the club while her year younger boyfriend stays at home," Boomer pouted, teasing her, "how sad."

Bubbles giggled, "Oh shut up. You'll be 21 in a couple months from now, so chill." Even though she said that, in reality she was glad that Boomer was still 20 because that meant he couldn't go everywhere she went now. For these next couple of months she would be free to go to clubs and bars by herself and with friends without being trailed by Boomer or "coincidentally" running into him. Really she did love him, they had been going out for two years now, but that didn't mean he needed to be with her all the time.

"Yeah well enjoy these next couple months without me cause when my birthday comes around you and me will be partying all night." Boomer said.

"Yeah, can't wait." Bubbles smiled, it was fake but you couldn't tell, she was basically an expert after all those times giving fake smiles to people.  
>Bubbles checked her phone and it read 11:15, time for her to go. Bubbles got up and slid her chair in.<p>

"Alright Boomer I gotta go, see you later."

"Bye Bubbles have a good time tonight." Boomer said while getting up and hugging her. He kissed her briefly before letting her go and grabbing his cereal bowl to put in the sink.

"Bye Mark."

"Okay bye Bubbles. Hey enjoy tonight it's gonna be one of the best nights of your life, oh and happy birthday." Mark smiled and turned around, going back to watching television.

Bubbles giggled, "Alright well bye." She closed the door on her way out and she couldn't help but smile and be happy. Whether it was because it was her birthday, meeting her sisters for brunch, going to the club tonight, or a combination of the three, she wouldn't know.

Bubbles was the first to arrive at the campus cafe at 11:30. She was surprised because Blossom was always early, usually the first to arrive, but today was different. She found a booth next to a window in the back and sat down, waiting for them to show up. Bubbles started to get worried when Buttercup walked through the door five minutes later. Buttercup was usually the one always late so her being the second one here was quite unusual. Bubbles waved her over and Buttercup sat down across from Bubbles.

"So where's Bloss, I know she's here." Buttercup said while looking around the cafe searching for Blossom.

"Oh, she's not here yet." Bubbles replied nervously, usually it was her and Blossom when they all talked so this was different, but it wasn't like she didn't know how to talk to her own sister. It was just that she didn't really have alone time with her as they were growing up.

Buttercup raised her eyebrows in surprise,"Well that's weird, anyway what's it like to be 21 finally? Are you finally going to have your first drink tonight now that you're legal?" Bubbles laughed and answered her sister's question.

Bubbles and Buttercup were talking about what they were doing, their classes, and where Blossom was. It was really going good and both were having a good time when Blossom burst into the cafe, winded.  
>It was 11:40 when Blossom finally reached the cafe. From Brick's room to the cafe was usually a 20 minute jog so the fact that she ran here in 15 minutes was good, but the fact that she was ten minutes late wasn't. Blossom spotted her sisters at a booth in the back at a booth and went to sit next to Bubbles.<p>

"Sorry I'm late; my alarm didn't go off this morning." She said while still panting heavily.

"Oh that's alright," Bubbles smiled, "me and Buttercup were just talking about where you were."

"Yeah we thought you had got some last night and were sleeping with him when you woke up and realized it was time to go so you rushed to put your clothes on, tried to get yourself together real quick before rushing out of his place and running here. But we know you wouldn't do that Miss Goody-Two-Shoes." Buttercup added.

Blossom swallowed, "Um no I would never do that." Blossom laughed, blowing it off. Even though it was true she would never let her sisters know that. "So did you guys order yet?"

"No, Bubbles said we shouldn't order until you got here." Buttercup said while throwing Bubbles a look, she just shrugged and smiled.

"Well then since Blossom is here let's get something to eat." Bubbles said, smiling.

She waved a goodbye to her sisters before she went back on her to way to her room. She was glad that her sisters had come out here for her birthday and talked. It was nice to know that everything was going great in all of their lives and Bubbles hummed a sweet tune to herself, even happier than before she came. She didn't think her birthday could get any better but it did get better, _a lot_better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is here! Honestly this will probably be one of my favorite chapters in this whole story and i think you guys will see why ;D**

**Thanx to **_Ami Magane_** and **_1000GreenSun _**for reviewing and giving me some good advice that i had forgotten. **

**So without further ado I give you **_The One That Got Away__ chapter 2_**! Enjoy! **

**~R&R~**

* * *

><p>Bubbles stared at the person in the mirror, not believing that it was her. Her bangs were out, swept to the left and partly covered her eye. Brianna had cut her bangs and did her hair, a wavy and curly look that fell to her shoulder blades, but her bangs were straight. The mascara along with the purple smoky eyes made her blue irises pop like they never had before and a pink shiny lip gloss finished off her look. She wore a white shirt with a big blue heart in the middle over her navy blue tank top. The white shirt revealed her upper left arm and just barely covered her right shoulder. There was some cleavage but not so much that she looked trashy. Lastly she had on some light blue wash jean short-shorts that went a quarter of the way down her thigh.<p>

"Happy birthday!" Brianna said as she came back from her room with a black box.

"Oh my gosh, you didn't have to get me anything! Doing my hair and makeup and picking out my clothes were more than enough!" Bubbles gushed as she received her gift.

"Well I didn't get you anything new," she shrugged, "these are just some shoes I had that I thought would look perfect with your outfit, so since it was your birthday I figured you could have them."

"Aww, well thank you." Bubbles said while she hugged her roommate. Bubbles opened the box to find a pair of navy blue peep toe stilettos with a bow at the front. "Oh my goodness! These are so gorgeous, but I can't wear them, they look too high." She said, disappointed.

"Huh, what are you talking about? These aren't that bad."

"That's too high for me." Bubbles said awkwardly. "I've never worn more than a few inches." She added quietly.

"Are you serious?" Brianna sighed. "Honey, I've worn higher heels than these before. Well I guess these will be your first pair of party heels then so put them on and start walking." Brianna instructed.

Bubbles nodded and slipped on her new heels. She stood up and wobbled back and forth a little before regaining her balance. She walked across the room, albeit a little wobbly. "Um how am I supposed to do this Brianna?"

"Just keep practicing, you'll get it soon enough. Your strut has to be perfect, walk like a model."

"But I'm not a model."

"Well we're not leaving until you can walk in those heels so be a model for this one night."

Bubbles sighed, "Alright." She stood up straight and tried again with a new found determination. Brianna didn't do her hair and makeup for nothing. Even if it was the last thing she would do Bubbles was walking into that club in her new heels looking sexier than she ever could. She walked across the room- trying to walk like a model- with her head held high and a smile across her face, hips swaying back and forth.

"Hmmm, I think you're ready." Brianna said after a couple of minutes with a smirk, Bubbles smiled.

"Let's go then!"

* * *

><p>There was a football game tonight and Blossom was fully prepared to get this challenge underway. She really never went to the games but guys were always there and Brick was on the team so he would see whether she would succeed or fail.<p>

Blossom checked herself before walking in. Skinny jeans were tight, her sandals were on and comfortable and her tank top was pretty decent, really it was too low for her standards but boys loved cleavage. She sighed, feeling like she was going to make a fool out of herself. Why did she accept this stupid bet anyway? She didn't have to sink to Brick's level and _manipulate _people. She took a deep breath, turned her charm on high and went into the stadium.

It looked like the game had just ended, people were crowded on the field and yelling, they must have won. She checked the score and saw that they had won, 21 to 14, so this made the dare easier, it was easy to charm somebody if they were in good spirits. Blossom walked out onto the field, into the crowd of people, looking for her target.

After wandering around cheerleaders, girls, guys and the football players she had learned that there was an after-party at one of the fraternities and she needed a date. Finally, after searching for about ten minutes, the crowd started to thin around the players and she spotted Brick talking to a cheerleader. He glanced at her and winked, going back to his conversation, she could see he was getting this challenge over with too.

"Hey." Blossom jumped, startled, and turned around to find the source of the voice that greeted her. He was on the team, a plus, and his short black hair was spiked in the front. His eyes were a shining baby blue that really stood out since he had black hair. "Oh hey." Blossom greeted.

"I don't usually see you around here so what's your name?"

"Umm, my name's Blossom, nice to meet you." Blossom smiled, this was chance, her first date, kind of.

"Blossom huh? That's a cute name, it suits you." He smiled back and she blushed a little. "My name's Jason by the way if you didn't already know."

"Yeah I saw you," she remembered a lot more people crowded around him than the others and shouts of congratulations, "you scored the final touchdown that won the game right?"

"Yup that was me." He put his hand behind his head and gave me a cocky smirk. This kid definitely had a big head and loved hearing about himself, a typical asshole. Blossom acted like she was impressed, "Oh my gosh that's _so _cool. So are you going to that after-party tonight?"

"Yeah I am, I mean I have to 'cause I won the game."

"Oh so are you going with someone?"

"Nah but I was hoping I could go with you?" Blossom smiled triumphantly, this was too easy. "I'd _love_ to."

"Cool well give me your number and I'll text you where it is." She gave him her number, "Alright well see you tonight Blossom."

"Okay bye." She said as he went into the locker rooms to change. First day of the bet and she already had a date. If all the other guys are like him then this was going to be easy.

Blossom spotted Brick in the same spot looking at her, she smirked triumphantly, knowing that Brick couldn't have been asked out more than one time. He walked over and cocked an eyebrow.

"So I guess you got asked out huh?" He said.

"Yes I did, Jason asked me to go to the after-party with him."

"Cool so that's one for you two for me?" Her jaw went slack, how could he have been asked out two times? Maybe Brick was better than she thought. "By who?"

"Two cheerleaders," Blossom got a little disheartened after hearing that but she didn't know why, "I rejected both of them though." It seemed like her body gave a big sigh after hearing that but she shook it off, curiosity taking over. "Why'd you reject them?"

"Because I'm not going to the after-party, I'm going to that club Radcliff with my brother tonight." He answered.

"Oh well have fun then." Brick smirked and was about to say something when the coach called him in. He gave her a two-fingered salute and went to the locker room. Blossom walked away feeling dazed, Brick had somehow gotten asked out twice while she only managed one. This was gonna be harder than she thought, Blossom sighed, what did she get herself into?

* * *

><p>Radcliff was popular among people in their early twenties and tonight was no exception.<p>

Butch sighed; he was dragged here by his brother, Brick, and was now sitting at the bar. Clubs really weren't his forte, they were good places to get laid but he wasn't in the mood tonight. Also he wasn't a big dancer, another reason he didn't really go to clubs. Brick was around somewhere, probably flirting with some random chick, trying to get in her pants. The music was blasting, people were dancing and grinding in the middle of the dance floor, it would be impossible to get through that, he thought. Butch went back to his beer, finishing it off in one last gulp. He was about to order another one when _she_walked in.

He had seen her walk in from the corner of his eye and she had immediately caught his attention. She was blonde with light blue eyes, not really his type but he was willing to try, but what really attracted his attention were her long creamy white legs exposed because of her short-shorts. Overall she was just plain sexy and turned him on to no end, he was taking her with him tonight.

Her friend, he guessed, led her over to the bar and she sat down right next to him. That was when he noticed he wasn't the only guy checking her out, many others were clearly staring.

"Umm can I have an apple martini for me and my friend here, it's her twenty-first birthday and this is her first drink."

"Oh well happy birthday and I'll get right on it." The bartender said with a wink and left to get their drinks.

"So Bubbles what do you think?" Her friend asked. Her friend was pretty hot too. Black hair brown eyes caramel colored skin, definitely more his type but she wasn't his target tonight.

"This place is nice; it looks really cool and fun." Her voice was sweet like sugar, preppy; she was _definitely _not his type.

The bartender came back with their drinks, "These are on the house." He said with another wink and a crooked smile before taking other orders, dang that man was flirty, maybe a little too flirty. She took a sip with a little apprehension, she scowled.

"So how do you like it?" Her friend asked. The girl, he needed to find out what her name was, took another sip and thought about it. "It's good, I mean I'm still getting used to the alcohol so it burns my throat some but other than that I like it." She smiled but he couldn't see it though.

Butch decided that it was time to make his move. "So I couldn't help but hear that it was your birthday," she turned around to look at him with her shining blue eyes, "and I think we should get some shots to celebrate since you've probably never had a shot before, right?" His eyebrow rose, silently questioning her.

She blushed a little, "Yeah I've never had a shot before but I've always wanted to try one."

"Well then today's your lucky day." He smirked and called the bartender over, placing the order. She turned around to talk to her friend who was flirting with some guy. They were whispering to each other and he saw her friend smirk while she blushed, you know she was really cute when she blushed. He saw her friend wink at her and then at him before going off with her boy-toy, he guessed, to dance. She turned around, her cheeks still a little pink, and looked around nervously. "So I never got your name?"

"Oh well my name's Bubbles."

"Bubbles. Are you serious? I thought that was just your nickname not your real name!" Butch started laughing and Bubbles flushed, embarrassed. "My dad picked that name, not me okay?"

"Yeah well your dad must have been real fucked up to pick a name like Bubbles." It looked like Bubbles was about to get angry and maybe hit him but she didn't, maybe it was the alcohol getting to her but she started to laugh along with him. "Yeah maybe he was. My dad was always in our basement doing who knows what." She giggled.

They were laughing so hard that they didn't even notice the bartender drop their drinks off. After they had finished laughing Butch grabbed his shot and so did Bubbles. "Cheers." He said.

"Cheers." They drank their shots, the alcohol burning down his throat leaving a warm sensation throughout his body.

"So how was it?" He asked.

"It was... strong."

He chuckled, "Well that's a shot for you." Butch looked around, still not seeing his brother anywhere. Oh well, he was going to enjoy his time here anyway. "Hey you wanna go dance?"

She sighed, "I guess so." She smiled and Butch paid for the drinks as he got up and held out his hand for Bubbles. She accepted and he brought her into the throbbing crowd of people.

The music was loud, to say the least, but at the moment he really couldn't care less. Butch pulled Bubbles into him and placed his hands on her waist, keeping her in place. He could feel her tense a little before relaxing as soon as a more upbeat song starting playing. They were swaying back and forth calmly but soon that turned into something more provocative and energetic that blended in with the crowd around them. He didn't know how long they were dancing together or what time it was but that didn't matter because, surprisingly, he was having a good time.

"Alright all you party people it's time to bring it doooowwnn." The DJ said into the microphone. Then Rocketeer started playing and he noticed people start leaving and the dance floor becoming less crowded.

_Here we go, come with me__  
><em>_There's a world out there that we should see__  
><em>_Take my hand, close your eyes__  
><em>_With you right here I'm a rocketeer__  
><em>  
>As the chorus started to play he felt his arms tighten around her waist and she turned around and put her arms around his neck, bringing them chest to chest. Butch didn't know why he did it, didn't know why he put his head in the crook of her neck, maybe it was the alcohol, but she smelled like vanilla and he didn't want to move his head. He felt her head rest against his chest as they swayed gently back and forth. Butch normally did not display this much emotion but this just felt <em>right<em>and he didn't want to let her go.

_Here we go, Come with me,__  
><em>_There's a world out there that we should see,__  
><em>_Take my hand, close your eyes,__  
><em>_With you right here, I'm a rocketeer,__  
><em>

_Let's fly, fly, fly, flyy.__  
><em>_Up, up here we go, go. __  
><em>_Let's fly, fly, fly, flyy.__  
><em>_Up, up here we go, go. __  
><em>_Where we stop nobody knows, knows, knows.__  
><em>  
>The song ended and something fast came on, the dance floor filling quickly. They broke apart and stood there awkwardly for little bit before Butch spoke.<p>

"I think we should get out of here!" He was practically yelling over the music.

"Yeah okay!" She replied yelling as well. They left the crowded dance floor and sat on a couch at the outskirts of the room.

"So yeah I think I'm gonna go." He said.

"Oh well um, okay I'll see you later I guess?"

"Yeah sure," he took out a pen from his pocket, "here hold out your arm." Bubbles obeyed and Butch wrote down his number on her arm. "Call me okay?"

"Yeah I will." She replied.

Butch smirked, "Stay cute." She blushed a little, "Oh just get out of here." She playfully smacked him on the arm and smiled, damn she was cute.

He smirked and left her on the couch. Why didn't he take her home? He clearly could have, she was making it obvious that she was into him. He just didn't know why he didn't take her home with him.

Butch shook it off, too tired to care and he had work in the morning, like he was never late before but it was just an excuse to not think about his emotions right now. Really all he wanted to do was find Brick and go home.

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><p>It was right there, her fate was right there on the counter. She sighed, the wait was unbearable and Buttercup just wanted to know, <em>now<em>. What if she was actually the, you know, p-word? How could she support a child in college?

She groaned, too many worries too many questions that could only be answered when she gets to them. And the fact that she knew who the father would be made it worse; he was someone she never wanted to see again.

It had to be done by now, it _had _to be. She took a deep breath and reached up for the counter, grabbing the stick that had her fate in its hands. She gulped looking at what the little screen said.

_"pregnant"_

She felt her body go numb, pregnant how could she be pregnant? She knew who the father was and knew that they were protected so how was she pregnant? No, it must be wrong, the thing is defected, but it had one of the highest accuracy ratings and a lot of people loved it, so why would it be wrong now? She groaned again, angry how she had just convinced herself that she was, in fact, pregnant.

Buttercup laid her head against the counter cabinet, suddenly too tired and overwhelmed to sit up anymore. Who was she gonna tell? She had to tell someone, maybe her dad, he would surely understand. Her sisters, when would she tell her sisters? Soon, she had to tell them soon, Buttercup hated to say but, she _needed_ their support right now.

She sighed again, it was too late to be thinking this hard and she was tired. Her roommate, Stacey, was fast asleep and she could hear her snores. Maybe it was time for to go to bed, get a fresh start in the morning and think this all through. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, she thought. Buttercup got up and put her test in her back pocket, no one would know about this unless she wanted them to know.

She left the bathroom and walked to her room, the bed calling her into its warm and comfy depths to be devoured by the angel that was sleep. Maybe when she wakes up all her worries will be gone, she laughed, yeah right, this isn't a fairytale; nothing you want ever happens.

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><p><em>He had just gotten out of the shower, his hair was wet and he felt exhausted- physically and emotionally. He still felt hurt from when he was rejected, he felt stupid for actually thinking he could trust someone like her, for actually believing he had a chance at happiness, he was so stupid. Why was he still thinking about it? It's been a month since he had last seen her and she still stayed fresh in his mind every day.<em>

_He sighed, it seemed like it would be another sleepless night and he was starting to get tired of not sleeping but whenever he fell asleep _she_ would appear in his dreams and they were happily together, something that would not happen in real life. He had tried everything to get he out of his mind, drinking, working, eating, even sleeping with other women, something he never had done with her, but she was always lingering over his head, he had even said her name when he was getting intimate with other women, something they never liked. The worst part was that each time he did it, they would say the same thing, "Clearly you still love this girl. Why don't you get back together with her?" and he always replied with the same thing, "I can't." because she had chosen someone else._

_He looked at the hole in his wall, a sign of how angry he was after his rejection. Looking at it brought up too many memories that he wanted desperately to forget. He laid on his bed, exhausted, closing his eyes and trying to relax in his dark room when he heard a knock on his door. Honestly who would come to his place this late, he was already annoyed so this made it worse. The person knocked on the door again and he groaned, getting up and turning on the lights before heading to his door. They knocked again and he yelled, "Alright I'm coming stop knocking already!" He reached the door, turned the handle and pulled it open._

It was her.

_He couldn't hide his surprise, it's been so long since he had last seen her but she looked just like she had a month ago. Same big blue eyes and flawless porcelain skin, she looked perfect while he looked a mess. His hair was messy and he had stubble since the last time he had shaved and he was sure his eyes looked exhausted, yet she still stared at him transfixed on every little detail of his face. He felt his emotions return, all the hate, passion, lust, sorrow, happiness, and everything else she had made him feel came to him full force when he saw her face._

_"... What are you doing here?" He growled. She turned her head down, he wanted so much to just grab her and kiss her and do many things to her until morning, but he couldn't, no wouldn't, let himself give into his emotions. So when she lunged forward and kissed him unexpectedly, well he let everything go._

_Her mouth was just the way he remembered it, soft and warm with a sweet taste. He pulled her in and closed the door, locking it so no one would ruin this moment. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing their faces closer together. He pushed her against the wall, their tongues dancing together and his lips pressing against her roughly. It was a passionate kiss, full of pent up emotions and lust that he was letting all out. He carried her over to his bed and fell down on top of her, still keeping their mouths connected while slowly moving his hands over her body._

_He broke the kiss to go to her neck and sucking and teasing her pulse point and she moaned lightly. He smiled possessively and whispered the words that would mean everything to him, "You're mine."_

_Her hands grabbed onto his hair, _"Yes, I'm yours."

He woke up startled and put his hand to his head, "The fuck?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! We're on chapter 3 now and i finally feel like we've started getting into the story. Thank you to all who've reviewed me so far and starting next chapter ill start writing responses to your reviews. Sorry this took a little longer than usual. I just started my first year of high school and i had to take some time to get settled in. **

**Anyway, i hope you enjoy reading chapter 3!**

**(review please, its much appreciated. =) **

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><p>It had been a week. A week since she had turned 21. A week since she had first went to a club; and a week since she had almost hooked up with a random guy at said club. She felt ashamed, the first hot guy she met at a club and she almost went home with him and lost her virginity, but the worst part was the fact that she had a boyfriend and betrayed his trust.<p>

Bubbles groaned, she remembered waking up that morning and finding his number written on her arm. She looked over at the small piece of paper on her nightstand, his number that she had written down but had never bothered to call. She heard a knock on her door, "Come in." she said.

Brianna walked in and sat on Bubbles' bed. Bubbles had felt crummy since that morning after the club so Brianna coming in and trying to comfort her wasn't really a surprise. Brianna sighed, "Come on Bubbles, just call him. Tell him you have a boyfriend and then never talk to him again. I'll stop talking about him if it makes you feel better, I don't like seeing you down."

Bubbles smiled a little, she was a really good friend after all. "That would help, thanks. And even if I call him and tell him I have a boyfriend it's just the fact that I almost cheated on Boomer. That's what's haunting me right now."

"Well you didn't so you'll just have to get over it and move on with your life." Bubbles sighed, "But-"

"But nothing," Brianna interrupted, "stop living in the past! It was a week ago, get over it! What Boomer doesn't know won't hurt him." She was stunned silent, having one of her friends yell at her was something she was not used to. Even though, Bubbles couldn't help but agree with Brianna, she needed to stop living in the past and get over it, it wasn't like she actually cheated on Boomer, she just _almost_cheated on him.

"Listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you it's just-"

"It's alright, actually you're right, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Also I'm not really used to people yelling at me like that so you kinda gave me a reality check." she laughed awkwardly, not sure about what else to say. "Well that's good then." Brianna replied with a smile. There was a pause, neither roommate wanted their true feelings to surface, the fact that Bubbles did want to call that guy and go hang out and be willing to go all the way with him, and the fact that Brianna was actually jealous of Bubbles and all the attention she received and how guys drooled all over her even when they knew she had a boyfriend.

"Umm I think I'm gonna go take a walk to clear my head." Bubbles said, ending the silence.

"Okay well I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yup," Bubbles smiled," bye."

"Bye." Bubbles closed the door lightly and headed down the stairs, skipping lightly, and bursting through the glass doors into the clear fall weather. "Oh yes," she thought, "this walk would definitely help."

Outside the air was crisp, clean, _fresh_and the slight chill kept her mind alert. Oh how she loved this time of year, well not as much as she loved Spring but this was her second favorite season and she was enjoying it. The trees were starting to change, slowly transforming the leaves from green to different hues of orange, yellow, and red.

Bubbles breathed in deeply, her lungs absorbing the air. It was like her problems seemed to go away out here. She exhaled slowly and started to walk all over campus. She had passed the cafe, the senior dorms, the fraternity and sorority houses, and the football field. She had seen many people, some she knew, most she didn't, but they a lot of people seemed to know her. They would say her name and wave and she would wave back and smile while replying with a 'hey' and moving on. Bubbles never had quite known that she was this popular but it was getting old, quick. She just wanted time to herself to think, and so far not much thinking had been taking place; so she headed off campus.

~X~

Bubbles was about a couple of miles away from campus, in a part of town that she had never really explored before. She passed a 50's diner that she silently noted to go to one day and continued walking down the street. A couple blocks down was a garage, now she wouldn't have even paid attention to the ordinary garage if a glimpse of something-or _someone_-hadn't caught her eye.

From the corner of her eye she had seen spiked black hair, and when she turned fully around she spotted those green eyes- _his_ green eyes-fixing a car. Suddenly she forgot about walking, forgot about thinking of her problems, and started thinking about the hot guy she had met at the club a week ago. Bubbles was staring, "Why is he here? What is he doing? What am _I_doing?" she silently asked herself even though she already knew the answers. Emotions she had left at the club crept up on her as she stood there and watched him work, her eyes catching every little detail of his body: how he had an oil stain on his cheek, how focused he was on fixing that car, and how his body was eerily calm as he stood there looking up into the undercarriage of the car. She didn't know how long she was standing there, thirty seconds, a minute, five minutes, who knew, but she did know when he stopped fixing the car and returned her gaze, his green eyes piercing into hers. If he recognized her, he didn't let it show as he coldly stared at her. He walked over to where she was on the sidewalk, and stood there, she could feel his eyes looking her over, silently identifying who she was.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, there was no emotion in his voice from what she could tell and if there was she could say that he was frustrated, angry even.

Bubbles gulped, "I was just walking around, I mean I do go to the college down there."

"Well go back, I got work to do and this isn't exactly the good part of town that you're so used to _Bubbles_."

That annoyed her, how did he know that she was used to being in the good part of town, she could have lived in the bad part of town for all he knew and even though she didn't Bubbles hated when people judged her. She was about to retort when a guy from inside called out to Butch.

"Hey Butch, what're ya doin'? Did you fix that car yet?" He asked.

"No Matt, I was about to continue after I got rid of her." He nodded to me and I gave a small wave to the middle aged man and smiled. His eyes widened a little bit, like he didn't see me there or something.

"Nah, it's okay. You've been workin on that fucked up car all day and it'll be here for ya tomorrow, so just take the rest of the day off, and that's an order." He winked at her before going back in the garage.

Butch rolled his eyes and grunted, "Fucking pervert. He only let me off work cus I was with you."

"Well then you should be happy. You now have the rest of the day off because of me."

He smirked, "Hey do you wanna go get a bite to eat, since you aren't exactly doing anything." She hesitated a bit before answering, "Yeah, um where exactly?"

"Just to that diner down the street."

"Oh, okay sure let's go." She responded. They both walked down the street in an awkward silence, the only noise between them was the sound of their feet striking the ground. They reached the diner and sat down in a booth in the back; the place wasn't crowded but did have people in it as there was a light chatter in the room.

"I saw this place on my way down here; is the food good?"

"Yeah it's pretty good, diner food you know." Butch answered, Bubbles nodded in understanding as the waitress came and took their drink orders. She was a blonde girl with a dark blue streak in her hair and electric blue eyes, she was pretty, Bubbles noted, and her name tag said 'Brittany'. Even though, Butch paid no attention to her and barely even glanced at her when he placed his drink order and she was especially focused on him, something had gone on between them, Bubbles noticed. Once Brittany left she decided to ask about it, "So what went on between you two?"

"Nothing, I slept with her once and now she likes me or something, no big deal." He answered. That was surprising, he completely didn't care that she liked him or that he slept with her once, but it was also slightly reassuring for some reason. "Okay, well that's cool." The silence came back as they looked over the menu but this time it wasn't quite as awkward, maybe even a little welcomed. Brittany came back with their drinks, took their orders and left, it seemed like she didn't want to be at our table longer than necessary.

Bubbles looked back at Butch and saw him intensely staring at her, his green eyes drilling into hers. There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her a little uncomfortable. She blushed before turning her head, hoping to avoid his gaze, but to no avail, she could still feel his eyes on her. She gave in after a minute of awkwardly looking at random things, trying to get him to stop staring at her. Bubbles sighed and turned her head to face Butch, locking her eyes on his. It was hard to maintain, to say the least, once her eyes met his she was overwhelmed with emotions, enough to make her speechless. So much was going on in her head: lust for the incredibly sexy guy sitting in front of her, guilt for feeling this way, wanting to jump across the table and kiss him, but through all these thoughts and emotions she couldn't help but notice how beautifully fierce his eyes were and that for one instant she had thought she saw his eyes soften and his mouth softly smile before he hardened his face again when the waitress came with their food.

"Alright so here's your chicken fingers with fries," Brittany set the plate in front of Bubbles, "and here's your hamburger and fries." She set the plate in front of Butch. "Enjoy."

"...Uh thanks." She smiled and Brittany left their table. Bubbles picked up a fry and popped it into her mouth. "The fries are really good." She said.

"Yeah, I know. I brought you here, didn't I?" He said rather matter-of-factly.

"Ugh, you are so rude! I've acted fine with it up until now but your just plain rude and annoying! You stare at me and you disregard girls like they're nothing and you always seem to have an attitude and you've never said anything nice since we've been here!" Bubbles said angrily, saying that last comment was the final straw. She was pretty sure that she heard the whole diner silence at her outburst.

"Oh yeah, well I could say the same about you! You're always happy, you follow me, and if I recall you were staring right back at me!"

"Okay you don't even know me! I'm not always happy, I'm not following you, and I was only staring back at you because you stared at me first! So who are you to say that?" She retorted, she couldn't stand this arrogant...ass.

"Yeah, well from what I've seen I think my accusations are pretty accurate."

"From what you've seen? From what you've seen you don't know me at all!"

"Well it isn't like necessarily want to know you like that." For some reason that hurt the most out of everything he said to her. Bubbles went back to her food and finished eating in silence, she was pretty sure the whole diner was staring at them but at this point she didn't care, all she wanted to do was finish her food, leave, and never this guy again. She didn't know when Butch started eating but when she looked at him again he was done his food while she still had two chicken fingers and half of her fries left.

"You're a slow eater." He observed. "Yeah I am." She said calmly. He didn't say anything back so Bubbles went back to eating her food. When she finished they went to pay for their meal and left.

"See ya." Butch turned around and headed in the direction of the garage. "Hopefully not." Bubbles said under her breath before she started to walk back to campus, more disappointed than angry. She was a few blocks from the diner when she remembered what she was supposed to tell Butch: that she had a boyfriend, and for some reason, he completely slipped her mind.

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><p>Buttercup sighed, she had thought long and hard about this, mentally preparing herself for this dreaded moment. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the number she knew by heart. Her heart was thumping faster than usual, she was nervous, everything relied on this man.<p>

The phone rang once, twice, a third time before he picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey dad," she gulped, "it's Buttercup."

"Oh, hi Buttercup!" His voice lit up, "How are you? How are your classes going? We haven't talked in a little while, actually I was just thinking about you."

"Really, well I was just thinking about you too."

"Of course you were. You just called me didn't you?"

"Yeah," she gave a nervous chuckle before continuing, "dad I need to tell you something."

"Hmm...what is it?" She could feel her dad get nervous through the phone. Buttercup took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and exhaled shakily. "Ummm, dad...I-I'm pregnant."

The other line was quiet, she gulped nervously. "...W-what?"

"I'm pregnant." She replied with a little more confidence. Her dad grew quiet again and he stayed like that for a while. She needed her dad right now; she needed his support to get through this pregnancy and to finish college. Suddenly she felt like she wanted to cry, just imagining what would happen to her if her dad rejected her because of this was too much. "Hello? Dad? Are you still there?"

"...Yeah, you kinda caught me by surprise there," he cleared his throat, "umm so who's the father?"

"...You already know who it is." She said quietly. Her ex-boyfriend, Mitch, was the father. She knew that her dad never approved of Mitch, he was reckless, stupid, and had nothing going for him; but for some reason she went out with that loser and has regretted it ever since.

"...Oh, so when did you figure out that you were pregnant? When do you think you conceived?"

"Umm I figured out I was pregnant a week ago and I think I conceived about a month ago, just before we broke up."

"Buttercup, I thought you knew better than to not use protection-"

"We did use protection! I saw him put on two and I guess that made them break." Buttercup replied quickly, she was not going to let her dad believe that she had wanted to become pregnant.

"...Oh, so what are you going to do with the baby? Are you getting an abortion, giving it up for adoption or are you keeping it?"

"...Umm I'm thinking about giving it up for adoption but I'm not sure."

"Did you tell your sisters yet?"

"No not yet, but I will though, soon." She added.

"...Alright so, Buttercup, I will always love you and support you no matter what decisions you make," she sighed with relief, "but if you're old enough to have sex and get pregnant then you're old enough to get a job." Buttercup was stunned silent, her dad was going to stop paying for her fees and she would have to get a job. "I'll still pay for your tuition and school fees but that's it. Your books, clothes, and other things: you'll have to work and pay for them, do I make myself clear?"

"...Yes dad." At least her tuition and fees were being paid for, that lifted a lot of weight off her shoulders but she still had to pay for her clothes and things. Even though, she understood where her dad was coming from, he was probably upset and if she was him she'd probably do the same thing.

"Alright, well I love you." He said.

"I love you too dad."

"Bye."

"Bye." Buttercup ended the call and relaxed back onto her bed, it was time to start the hunt.


	4. Chapter 4

**This one was kinda hard to crank out, this chapter was very problematic for me. But on the bright side next chapter will be much easier for me to do and will be published much sooner than this one. This chapter kinda cleared somethings up so I hope you enjoy TOTGA chapter 4! **

**R&R**

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><p>Brick woke up with a hangover. It seemed almost every night he was partying, drinking, and getting laid and then getting a hangover in the morning. He groaned and rolled over, making himself more comfortable before he had to open his eyes. His bed smelled like sweat and girl, an obvious sign that he had been with a girl last night.<p>

Brick tried to open his eyes but was immediately met with bright light causing his migraine to increase in intensity. He groaned again, this time in annoyance, hangovers could be serious bitches. He closed his eyes again; trying to go back to sleep and also trying to remember who he was with last night. Was it Blossom? No, he knew it wasn't her, he didn't even see her last night. So who was it? He thought about it for a while before giving up, she obviously didn't matter if he forgot.

Brick tried to go back to sleep but again he failed. Instead his thoughts settled on Blossom and how she was doing. He hadn't seen her since that day when he won the football game. Brick smiled a little, thinking about how she looked that day and how she acted so different just to get a date for that stupid bet. He never took it seriously-of course he would win-but she played so much into him that he figured why not. Brick wasn't gonna let her do the whole project by herself in the first place-hell he was even gonna let her win.

That night when they made the bet, wasn't the first time they had hooked up. She would deny it but they had hooked up a couple times before then and there was something that always kept him coming back to her. He didn't know if it was because she was hot, a challenge, or if it was the fact that she looked a little like his ex-girlfriend. Brick shivered, he didn't like to think of his ex and wanted o keep her in the past; she was bad news.

Brick didn't know why he always went back to her but he also didn't care and decided to finally get up and out of his bed. He got up and looked for some clothes, ignoring his migraine at the moment, but he only found some pajama pants and a tank top; so he threw those on and went out to the bathroom. Brick looked at himself in the mirror-no hickeys, thank god-and took out an Advil from the medicine cabinet. He drank some water and swallowed it down before going out into his main living area.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, his roommate was watching TV and doing homework on their couch and the room was kinda messy like usual. Brick opened the mini-fridge, looking for something to eat, but he didn't find anything, so he just plopped down on the couch next to his roommate, Kevin.

Kevin stopped doing his work and turned his head to look at Brick, "Rough night, huh?"

"Yeah the same thing. Partied, got drunk, hooked up with a girl and woke up with a hangover with no one else in my bed, the usual."

"Oh yeah," Kevin said in realization, "I saw her leave before you woke up. Pale skin, kinda long brown hair and she definitely knew how to dress...what was her name? Jennifer? Jessica? Jordan? Julia? Julia! That was her name, Julia, it was Julia."

"Oh yeah, Julia." Now Brick remembered her, kinda short with brown hair. He remembered that she was sporty too and she was smart and pretty; a girl he would definitely get with. "So what did you do? Have a conversation with her?"

"Yeah a little one, she really just wanted to leave so I let her. And you know have a girlfriend so I wouldn't have done anything." Kevin went back to doing some work before coming back to talk to Brick. "You'd be surprised how many girls I meet through you."

"Oh yeah, try me," Brick challenged.

"Well apparently I met my girlfriend through you. You two hooked up a couple years ago and I just said 'hi' and now we're together. She says every girl goes through the 'Brick' phase and that they lose interest after having sex with you because they figure that's all your willing to commit to."

Brick paused for a minute, taking that information in. "Huh...I probably have been with your girlfriend before," Brick chuckled, "but was she serious when she said that?"

"Yeah completely. She even said she had a crush on you until you guys hooked up and then she stopped 'cus she said you weren't boyfriend material."

Brick grew concerned, "Was I bad in bed or something?" It must have only been that one time because recently he had been getting rave reviews on his performance.

"Oh no, she said you were one of the best she's had-well after me of course-and that she would hook up with you again if she were single."

He was relieved; he didn't need to reevaluate his performance, but what did she mean by he wasn't "boyfriend material". "Oh okay well that's fine," the conversation stopped for a little bit, both preoccupied with something else. Brick was watching the dumb reality show on TV and Kevin was doing his work for his next class. Comments between the two boys came out in trickles on different things but nothing really lasted. It wasn't awkward between them just silence, something that both thought was comfortable in its own way.

Kevin closed his notebook and stood up and stretched, he had been sitting for a while. "Hey," Kevin got Brick's attention, "aren't you tired of it all; the partying and all the one night stands? You've been doing it for years and I'd be exhausted if I were you."

Brick thought about that, was he tired of this life? He had to admit, some part of him was but what else was there to do? "I mean a little but there's not much else I can do, I mean I don't have a girlfriend or anything," Brick answered.

"Do you want one?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know, maybe. My last relationship didn't end well so I don't know," Brick answered truthfully.

"Listen, I'm not trying to preach to you but, maybe you should stop partying and stuff for a little while; just to clear your mind. Hey you might learn something while you're taking a break." Brick nodded, thinking about it. The constant hangovers sucked and that was a good reason alone to quit partying for a little while. His thoughts were interrupted when Kevin said, "Are you going to class today?"

He had completely forgotten about his classes and seeing as he didn't go yesterday, he figured that he should go today. "Yeah I'm going," Brick answered. He got up and stretched before getting his backpack and being lazy, decided to just leave in his pajamas; but before he went to class he had to get something to eat! He was starving! "Hey you wanna go and get some grub?" Brick asked.

Kevin thought about it, "Sure why not. I am kinda hungry," and with that the boys left the room, the previous conversation behind them at the moment.

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><p>Boomer hadn't talked to his girlfriend in a few days so arranging this date with her was music to his ears. He was in front of her door and was about to knock when she opened it for him. Bubbles was as stunning as ever, her hair was down and her skin seemed to glow with perfection, and Boomer couldn't help but stare; he was truly lucky to have her as his girl.<p>

"Are you ready to go?" She asked sweetly. He didn't notice that he had missed her voice over these past couple days, but now he wanted to hear more of it, just to make up for all the days he hadn't heard it.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Boomer smiled, "let's go." He held his hand out and she immediately responded, putting her hand in his and a light blush gracing her cheeks. He was surprised to know he still had that affect on her after how long they've been together and it made him reluctantly blush a little too; it was like their first date all over again.

"Have fun you two little lovebirds," Brianna teased from inside the room.

"Oh we will," Boomer replied with a wink. Bubbles turned her head to Brianna for a second but didn't say anything. He thought she made a face of uncertainty but when she turned back around she was wearing that beautiful smile that he loved so much, so he forgot all about it.

"Bye Bree," she said as she closed the door.

It was just them now, holding hands in the dorm hallway. "So what do you want to do? The movie doesn't start for another hour or so," he asked.

"Umm..." she thought for a moment, "I don't know, we could walk around for a little since I'm not really hungry, but we can do something else if you want to."

Bubbles was too kind, he thought, she was always thinking of him even when he didn't want her to. "No, walking is fine. I like walking, especially with you." She blushed a little and Boomer smiled in response as he led her out the door and into the open fresh air.

They started walking, their hands still intertwined, but Bubbles didn't have anything to talk about. She would look all around them and point things out but would never look directly at him and tell him something. Even though, Boomer took this as her being shy so he just went out and asked what was already on his mind, "So, how was the club the other night?"

Bubbles looked a little startled after he asked the question but she answered pretty quickly. "The club? Umm it was fun," she answered.

"Really, what did you do?"

She gulped, "Well I got drunk for the first time," she laughed, "and really Bree and I just danced the whole night. Not really exciting."

"Oh well that's cool. Did any guys try to come up on you?" he asked. Bubbles was so cute, attractive, and innocent that he knew guys would try to bag her and take her home. She had to think for a moment, "I don't think so, one guy bought me some drinks but that was it. I didn't go home with anyone if that's what you were asking."

Boomer gave an invisible sigh of relief; a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. All that worrying he did was for nothing, and he was happy about that, but he felt bad that he hadn't trusted Bubbles enough to not go out and flirt with other guys and have sex with them. This was a lesson learned for him: always trust Bubbles because she will come through. Oh yes he was happy-ecstatic even-but he didn't let it show through. "That's good. It's not like I thought you would go and do that anyway because I know you would _never_do that," he said.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "you should trust me more," she joked.

"I know, I know. I was just nervous." They laughed a little more before the awkward silence came in.

"Well don't ever be nervous about stuff like that again, I promise it won't ever happen." She smiled the smile that he loved so much that he had to smile too. He could feel it between them, the love they felt for each other. This was the first time he had ever felt something like this and he didn't want it to go away.

"Hey Bubbles?"

"What?"

"...I love you," he spurted out. Boomer hadn't expected to say that, it just came out, and now he was looking at her, waiting for her to say the same words back to him. The phrase seemed to hang in the air for a little bit before she replied, "...I love you too."

Boomer smiled, he was so happy right now. He and his girlfriend were in love and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He gently put his hands on her face and kissed her sweetly on the lips and then pulled her into a hug. He felt so at home and emotionally satisfied with her in his arms. They broke apart and Boomer smiled again, "We should get going, don't wanna miss the movie," he said.

Bubbles responded, "Yeah," and he put his hand out and intertwined it with hers and started to lead her to his car. Boomer was so busy thinking about what had just happened and walking and the movie, that he didn't even notice Bubbles' face change from happy to sad, a guilty expression written on her features.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you guys for all the support and alerts and sorry this chapter took longer than i expected. I try to update within a month but sometimes that doesnt work out as planned. haha. I really enjoyed writing this chapter so i hope you enjoy it too. Happy reading!**

** ~X~**

** bubbles31-I'm so happy that this story's your favorite! :) and i would never abandon this story no matter how long it takes me to update, i love it too much and i know you do too. Who she chooses is a secret for now so keep guessing! and Bubbles is in a lot of this chapter so i hope you like it!**

**SmartCookieLovesTacos-Again i would never abandon this story so dont ever think that if i take a long time. And you might be more accurate than you think with that guess :P heheh. and I love that you love this story, it keeps me going to know that you like it so much. anyway plenty of stuff in this chapter so enjoy! **

**I'm gonna start responding to reviews every chapter so if you review I'll respond!**

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><p>Blossom was officially stressed out; she had so much work to do. Homework, reports, essays, and studying were on top of each other and she still had to do her big psychology project—which she would have to do all by herself because of that stupid bet she made with Brick. Honestly, she hadn't even really tried that hard to get asked out because she didn't like to manipulate people—why try to get people to ask you out if you don't want to go on a date with them? She sighed, her personal agenda was packed and she couldn't even relax in what little down time she had. This was her most important year—senior year—and she had been through rough times before but this was something else. She needed a drink.<p>

Blossom walked out of her room and to her mini fridge where there was an assortment of beers, vodkas, and a case of hard lemonade; she grabbed the hard lemonade and took a swig, savoring the taste of light alcohol. She was about to go back to her room when she was stopped by her roommate—Tyler—who was just coming out of her smoke filled room.

"Hey Blossom what's- oh, you look a little stressed out," she observed. Tyler smoked weed, she was pretty nice and smart but she smoked weed, which was why Blossom usually kept her distance. "I think you need this more than me right now," she held up an unused blunt for Blossom to see.

Blossom didn't do drugs and hated them, she had promised to herself that she would never do drugs under any circumstances—she had already denied plenty of offers—but somehow she was actually considering taking the blunt from Tyler's hand and smoking it with her, that's how much stress she was under. It was funny; Blossom never expected in her lifetime that she would actually have to convince herself _not_ to take the drug. "…No, I'm fine: I don't smoke," Blossom answered politely.

"I know you don't, but now is a sure as hell good time to start. Listen, im under a lot of stress too, all this homework and everything. I need to do something to relax and drinking and sex, don't really have enough kick, but this little baby," she motioned toward the blunt in her hands, "has helped me through a lot of tough times and I know it would help you too. Plus, you don't even have to do it more than once, I know a lot of people who smoke only when they really need it and they say it does wonders for them."

Tyler made a good point, so many people smoked weed and some of them still maintained high GPAs, so why couldn't she? Blossom was about to give accept the blunt when someone knocked on the door. Tyler hid her blunt in her pocket and started to spray air freshener around the room, trying to hide the smell of weed. "Hey Blossom it's me Brick, you wanna open the door?" Blossom and Tyler both gave a collective sigh of relief and she stopped spraying the air freshener. Brick knocked again and Blossom yelled, "I'm coming!"

She opened the door and there he was—her cute project partner—standing in front of her doorway and giving her one his looks. Her heart fluttered a little—she knew she liked him by now—and she moved out of the way to let her crush in. Blossom didn't like the fact that she had a crush on one of the biggest players at her school and that she had merely joined a big list of other girls. She didn't like those feelings, so she wasn't going to act on them, and hoped nothing extra came as a result from this project meeting.

Brick walked in and Blossom closed the door behind him, hoping that he couldn't smell the weed and come to the false conclusion that she was smoking. Brick looked at Tyler and she waved, "Listen Blossom im gonna go, but remember what we just talked about—offer's always open," Tyler said as she left her room and closed the door; leaving only Brick and Blossom.

Brick set down his back pack and took out his laptop, "I already started the rough copy of our paper. I only got a page in but it's something." Brick sat down and opened his laptop and Blossom sat down next to him, watching him get out his research notes. Blossom had barely done any work on the project since they had last met and made the bet—which she lost—but here he had already done some of the work and she had done basically nothing.

"So does this mean I won the bet?" Blossom asked, honestly confused about his behavior; she never thought of him as the "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do" person, so there had to be a catch.

"No you didn't, unless you got more than 15 in this past week, in which case you would win, but I doubt that," he paused to let her say if she got asked out more than 15 times, she didn't say anything so he continued, "and the reason that I have done and am helping you like im supposed to, is because I wasn't gonna let you do this alone in the first place." Blossom's eyes widened a little in surprise, here he was, the player Brick admitting to her that he was truly _nice_. "I figured I would win, and I could have easily just let you do this project for me, but I didn't feel right doing that. I figured you were under so much stress already that adding this would tip you over the edge, so I decided to ignore the dare and work on the project with you anyway."

Blossom was shocked, to say the least; she had Brick pegged as the bad guy all along when really he wasn't even that bad. "Wait," Blossom started, "if I won, I would have let you do the whole thing and not have helped you, so what would have done if that happened?" she asked, hoping that he would say something like beg her to help him or do it for him.

"I'd just do the project. I mean I made a bet and I am a man of my word so I would of just did it," he shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal, but to blossom it was. He would have had to do the project either way, and that made her fondness of him grow even more, but she was still skeptical, there had to be something more, something he wasn't telling her. "I still don't understand why you are doing this for me?" she asked.

Brick took a deep breath and exhaled, "Well I guess it's because…I like you," Blossom froze, that was not the answer she expected and to think that he had the same feelings she did. Brick grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes; his fiery red irises were so warm and emotional that she got lost in them for the first time. Blossom had never seen him like this and she wasn't sure what to feel, in fact she was too stunned to have a reaction and feel an emotion before Brick continued, "and I wanna know… will you go out with me?"

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><p>"…and then he told me he loved me," Bubbles explained. She was telling Brianna about her date with Boomer the other day and how she felt about it. Bubbles really trusted her roommate and best friend and always listened to her advice and ideas, even if she didn't agree with them.<p>

"And then…" Brianna gave her a look and Bubbles nodded, answering the unspoken question. "Oh Bubbles, you don't really love him do you?" Brianna asked.

Bubbles had to think for a minute, sure she already knew her answer deep in her heart but that wasn't the answer that she wanted to come out, "…I-I don't know, I mean I don't think I love him in the way that he loves me. I mean we've been going out for a little over a year now and I feel like if he is there emotionally then I should be there too, but I'm not. I feel so bad but I didn't know what to say, how do you respond to someone when they say 'I love you' but you don't know if you love them yet?" Bubbles asked, these were all thoughts on her mind, curiosities as to whether she was right or wrong for—in her eyes—leading him on.

"Listen, you're not wrong," Brianna answered, "there really are only two responses to that statement: I don't love you or I love you too. There really are just those two extremes and voicing your opinion in the middle is hard to explain and hard to understand. Honestly, I think you said the right thing but then again I don't because you don't love him like that yet. So this situation is really hard."

"And the worst part is, Butch sent me a text me earlier and he said," Bubbles pulled out her phone and went to the message to read it to Brianna, "'Hey I'm sorry for how I acted the other day. I was having a bad day and that's just how I respond to stuff, so I wanted to make it up to you. Meet me at Radcliff tonight so we can talk and hang out for real,' that's what he said, and I really feel like going, I mean we all have a bad day every once in a while so he deserves a second chance right?"

Brianna thought about it for a little bit, "Bubbles I don't think you should go, I mean you're in a relationship with Boomer and it could be taken the wrong way if someone sees you. Also guys don't apologize and ask you out again unless they want to be more than friends so you going might be leading him on."

Bubbles thought about what Brianna said, she was right, Bubbles had to admit. Going was the completely wrong thing to do but Butch didn't seem like the relationship type and she wanted to go to see what he wanted. "I wanna go," Bubbles voiced her thought, "I mean just to see what he wants. He can't be a completely bad person if he wants to see me again."

Brianna shook her head in disagreement, "Whatever Bubbles, Im telling you he doesn't want what you think he wants. You're so naïve, because doing this is going to drive yourself into an even bigger hole."

Bubbles sighed, "Okay will you come with me then, to make sure I don't do anything bad?"

"No, I'm busy tonight. I got asked to go to a frat party plus it's free, I can't spend money on the club every week because I'm not rich unlike you. Listen you need to learn how to handle and take care of yourself when you're out 'cus someone isn't always gonna be there for you," Brianna answered with an undertone of an emotion that was hard to identify.

Bubbles was kind of offended by that rich comment but she let it pass, it was true that her dad did make a lot of money but that was no reason to bring it up. Even though, what Brianna said was true, Bubbles couldn't on her or anyone else for that matter. She was a big girl now and needed to act like one who could handle herself. "Alright," she picked up her phone and responded to Butch's text, "thanks Brianna for the advice and the talk," Bubbles gave her a hug and she gladly took it.

"It's no problem, really what are friends for," Brianna smiled and Bubbles smiled back at her, genuinely happy that they had met each other. "Alright I have class so I gotta go, bye," Brianna waved and left the room leaving Bubbles all alone. Bubbles looked around and found her bathing suit just laying around in her room—it was warm that day—so she decided to go swimming for the last time that season. Hey she didn't have any classes left that day so why not, she might even make a new friend. Bubbles changed and left her room, excited for the last swim of the season and her night alone at the nightclub.

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><p>Buttercup stood in front of the dirty looking building called <em>The Golden Apples<em> and sighed. She looked at the _Help Wanted_sign on the door and took a deep breath. This was not her choice of job but she had been to almost every other place in the area and she had not gotten any notice after her interviews. She had exhausted all her other opportunities and this was the one that was left. She knew that this place was a strip club and that she would probably get hired as stripper—even if it was only for a little while—after all nobody wants to watch a pregnant stripper.

Buttercup took a deep breath and pushed open the unappealing door and stepped into the foyer of the place. There was an ATM and a red carpet on the floor that led to some expensive looking wooden double doors. She never expected to find herself in this situation—but there's a first for everything—and she heard strippers made good money; something the other jobs didn't offer. She smoothed out her shirt and walked in—hoping she was dressed right.

There were girls everywhere, to say the least. Some were practicing on the pole, on the stage doing their dance routines, and some were also socializing; but it seemed like all eyes were on her when she walked in. She received all types of looks as she walked through the place. It wasn't dirty, there was a bar when you walked in and there was a big stage in the middle with some small stages on the side and the floor was crowded with tables and chairs. Buttercup was so nervous—she could hear her heart beat and feel her hands start to sweat—but she was determined not to let it show; Buttercup was a person not to crack or flake out under pressure.

Finally, someone came up to her to help her out because she had no idea where she was going. "Do you need any help?" a girl with black spiked hair and green eyes asked. She looked serious and her face had an edge to it but the smirk on her face said that she wasn't completely serious.

"Um," Buttercup looked around to see if she knew where to go, "yeah I'm here to apply for the job? I saw the sign out front so...yeah," she wasn't trying to let the girl notice that she was nervous.

"Alright well I'll take you back to see Ace then, he's the owner," the girl started walking and motioned for Buttercup to follow her. "My name's Brute by the way," she said as they walked past the other girls toward the main stage.

"Brute...is that your stage name or your real name?" Buttercup asked.

Brute smirked, "Both," she answered and led Buttercup to a door backstage. "He's in there. Good luck," she waved and started to leave.

"Wait, I forgot; I'm Buttercup. Nice to meet you," Buttercup held out her hand waiting for the other girl to take it but she just looked at it and scoffed.

"Okay Buttercup, if you're gonna work here you have a lot to learn; we're a family and we don't exactly like newcomers," Brute left it at that and walked away leaving Buttercup a little pissed. There was no need for the attitude and being pregnant didn't make it any easier. She looked down at her stomach—no baby bump yet—that was good. No one wanted to hire someone that was pregnant since she would have to be on maternity leave soon; not to mention the fact that no one wanted to look at a pregnant stripper.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in," a clear voice said from inside. She opened the door and saw a man with slicked-back black hair and black sunglasses. He was wearing a suit but had that con man snake air about him. Buttercup sat down cautiously, she knew she had to be wary around this man. "So I guess you're here to apply for the job?" he asked as he was probably checking her out.

Buttercup ignored his probably wandering eyes—she couldn't see through his glasses—and answered his question, "Yes I'm here for the job, I saw the sign outside so I just came in."

He looked at her from the rim of his glasses, his eyes were black as coal, "Okay, well my name's Ace and I'm the owner and boss of this place. So tell me about yourself sweetheart?" He asked, his voice still had that snake like undertone but she could tell he wasn't flirting with her, just asking a question.

"Well my name is Buttercup Utonium, I'm 21, and I go to Townsville University. Umm, I need this job to pay for my college things and I don't have any experience; but I'm a fast learner," she explained. Ace stared at her a little more, she could tell now that he was examining her face and body, seeing if she had the right look. She realized then that this interview wasn't about experience; it was about how you looked.

"Alright sweetheart-"

"Ace!" a blonde girl interrupted angrily. She had burst through the door and by her skimpy schoolgirl outfit she obviously worked there. Buttercup had to admit—she was hot. Her eyes were a deep blue and her hair was in pigtails with the tips dyed blue.

Ace sighed, "What do you want Brat, and didn't I tell you not to burst through my door like that again?"

She puffed, "Yeah yeah, but we-who is that?" Brat asked as she just noticed Buttercup sitting down. She was glaring suspiciously at Buttercup and she tried not to glare back—she didn't want to make enemies _before_she started the job but these girls' attitudes were ridiculous—but she did anyway, Buttercup was not one to deny a challenge.

"Well," Ace started, "her name is Buttercup and she is your new coworker starting next week," Ace explained with a smirk.

Both girls were surprised for the same reason: she had got the job.

"Why do you want this job?" Brat was talking to Buttercup now, "Nothing good comes out of this job, you know that? You get stuck and feel like you can't leave because-" Brat stopped, she looked frustrated, not exactly at Buttercup—but at this whole situation itself. "I'll talk to you later Ace," she said before she left his office and slammed his door.

Ace stared at the door for a moment before returning back to Buttercup, "Don't worry, Brat is usually like that but you'll get used to it. Now I need you to just sign these papers and then you'll be the new bartender at Golden Apples. So-"

"Wait," Buttercup interrupted, "I thought I was applying to be a stripper?"

Ace shook his head, "No, we already have enough strippers, and I never put the sign out when we need more strippers, but our bartender just quit last week and we need a new one—fast. Normally I wouldn't hire you because you have no experience, but under these circumstances I guess I'll have to. We're open all week except on Sundays, 10 to 3. You'll get paid minimum wage. I would suggest getting here one to two hours before opening because you have to change and the girls want their drinks since they can't drink during customer hours. Training starts on Monday at 7 o'clock sharp, if you're not there you're fired, now do you have any questions?"

"I guess not..." Buttercup said, she wasn't writing it down and he just spurt all that information at her. She was dazed but she still filled out the papers that he had given her.

"Thank you," Ace said with a sly smirk as Buttercup handed back the papers, "you are now an official employee at _The Golden Apples_," Ace stood up and held out his hand—Buttercup stood up and shook it—she now had a job at a strip club and she hoped her dad didn't find out.

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><p>Butch was waiting for her at the bar, the same spot where they had first met. The music was loud as always, but he was used to it, noise was nothing to get stressed over. He had sent the text that morning and was actually surprised that she responded positively, even agreeing to meet him here. Normally, he didn't ask girls for forgiveness but she was his target—his prey—and he would to anything to get her, even apologize. Tonight would probably be the night he'd get her and then leave her high and dry, never to see her again.<p>

Butch smirked as he thought about it; he would go on with his life without thinking about her again. He was so busy thinking that he didn't notice her sit down right next to him.

"Umm, Butch?" she called, trying to get his attention.

He turned around to face Bubbles, he hadn't noticed that she was there, "Oh hey Bubbles, sorry, I didn't see you come in. So how are you?" it was when he finished talking that he noticed how she looked. She had on a short, strapless, and tight shiny black dress with blue heels. She looked sexy—to say the least—and was definitely turning a few heads her way. She seemed to notice him checking her out and blushed a little. She's so cute when she blushes, Butch thought. Wait, did he really just think that? Butch shook his head, trying to stay focused on why he was here.

Bubbles folded her arms and became serious, "I'm fine. So do you have something you need to say?" she was talking about their lunch before, he knew that, and he knew just what to say.

"Listen, I'm sorry for being rude to you before—I was just having a bad day, you know? It was a tough day at work and I just wasn't in the mood. So, will you forgive me?"

She smiled at him, "Of course, we all have our bad days and truthfully I didn't think we'd ever talk again so this was a surprise," she chuckled and Butch smirked. There was something about this girl that drew him to her—and he didn't know what it was—but he knew one thing, her niceness was annoying. She was so sickeningly sweet that it made him frustrated—he wanted to make her angry like before—but she couldn't.

It made him wonder, she was so much sexier when she was angry, and honestly it made him want to get her angry and in her pants faster. Butch smirked, first part of the plan, he thought, was to get her drunk. "So you want a drink?"

~X~

"Oh my gosh, I'm so drunk," Bubbles laughed as her words slurred out of her mouth. Butch was guiding her to his car since she clearly couldn't walk to her room, hell she could barely stand up. Her shoes were off and in his hand—a sign that he really wanted this girl, because normally he would _never_hold a girl's sweaty shoes after a night of dancing.

They were just leaving the club even though it was still open. It was three now and the club closed at four but he didn't like to be rushing out along with everybody else—it was too crowded; but while they were there, he had proceeded to get her sufficiently drunk and they had bumped and grinded on each other most of the night. Throughout the night she was sending all the right signals: throwing her head back to look at him, looking up and down his body, and occasionally feeling his body more than usual—he knew he was gonna get it tonight.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd drink that much," Butch lied; he was planning on getting her to drink that much, as he continued to guide her stumbling body to the car.

"Yeah well I did...and where are you taking me? Are you kidnapping me? Am I not going to see my friends again? Can I at least get one phone call?" Bubbles drunkenly rambled as she still allowed Butch to lead her to his car. He couldn't help but smile, her rambling on was so amusing and funny, this was the first time seeing her drunk and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

"No, I'm not abducting you. I'm taking you home okay?" Butch replied in a calm voice—he was being unusually patient and nice with her.

"Really? Well, thank you, Butch, you're so nice," she looked and have him a drunken smile and he couldn't help but laugh—she looked so ridiculous! They had finally reached the car and he opened the door and helped her get in. When she finally was situated he went over to the driver's side. This car wasn't even his—he had borrowed it from the garage because a drunken girl on a motorcycle was a very bad idea.

"Do you need help?" Butch asked as he watched her struggle to put her seatbelt on.

"No, I'm fine," she said as she finally clicked it into the slot.

"Okay then, well let's go," Butch started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The radio was playing quietly as they sat in the car, he glanced at Bubbles and saw that her eyes were closed-in that short amount of time he realized just how pretty she was with her blonde hair and almost perfect skin.

The club wasn't that far from the college, about 15 to 20 minutes, and it went by pretty quickly. "Alright Bubbles, wake up, we're on campus so you need to tell me where your hall is," Butch said. Bubbles woke up and looked around before turning to Butch to give him directions.

"Okay turn right here and then go straight until you get to Bronwen Hall, that's where I live, room 217," Bubbles responded drunkenly. Butch followed her directions and surprisingly he made it to Bronwen Hall without a problem.

Butch turned off the car and got out and waited for Bubbles to open the door for herself. She struggled and it took a few minutes for her to open the door but she did it. He helped her out and led her to the doors of the hall. "Hold up, I gotta put in the code," she said as she went up to a number pad and finally put in the right code after a couple of tries. He propped the door open and helped her get in and led her to the elevator on the right. This was it, he could feel it, and the time was coming where he would get what he wanted and then be gone forever — his excitement was building. The elevator was nasty and full of trash and what smelled like throw up—a bunch of college kids who had drank too much and couldn't hold it in—Butch thought as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

The hallway was surprisingly cleaner than the elevator, even though he could still hear college kids screaming and music blasting from dorm rooms. Room 217 was the last room at the end of the hallway before it turned. Butch tried the handle, it was locked, great, "Bubbles, we need the key. Do you have it?" he asked.

"Hmm," Bubbles thought for a moment, "yeah, I do have it! It's in my bra, hold on," She reached down into the front of her dress and pulled out a plastic keycard like the ones they have at hotels."Can you out it in for me? It'll be much faster if you do it," she said as she held out the key for Butch to take. He took the card, slid it in the slot, and opened the door in one swift motion before giving it back to the drunken Bubbles. "Thank you for bringing me home," she said gratefully as they walked through the door.

It was a pretty nice room with a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and two sinks outside the bathroom with stuff all over the counter. "Can you take me to my room please?" Bubbles asked, "It's the first one."

"Alright," Butch answered as he wrapped her arms around his shoulders and guided her to her room. This was it, he thought, this was the moment he was waiting for. Butch closed the door behind him and was about to grab her, but he noticed she had already collapsed onto the bed. His excitement grew as he moved to her bed to join her but it was then that she rolled over and said, "Thank you for bringing me back, I wouldn't of made it without you. You know—you're a really good person," she smiled and gave his close enough face a kiss on the cheek, and then she was gone—knocked out. It was sweet, it was short—but it left a warm sensation that lasted throughout the night.

Butch looked at her sleeping form and sighed, and pulled her covers up around her. He could of woke her up, he could have been quicker, but he wasn't and now she was sleep and he no longer felt like he wanted to get with her that night. It was weird; he left her room and the residence hall in a daze. He drove back to his apartment in a fog. He took off his clothes and fell onto his bed alone mystified at what had happened that night and his change of heart. Butch fell asleep that night with the lingering sensation of her warm lips on his cheek—and even thought he wouldn't admit it to himself—that innocent gesture had made his heart skip a beat and one brick of the wall surrounding it fall off.

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><p><strong>Review please? :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey so...this took a little longer than I expected but I've been busy with school and such so *shrugs* But I thank you all for reading so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It turned out to be more substantial than I thought it would be so that's good.**

**Anyway reviews and follows would be much appreciated as I enjoy your feedback! Enjoy chapter 6!**

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><p><em>xXAmitanXx: Haha well I'm glad you got to read my story!And yeah I know I fall off the radar between chapters but that just means sooner or later I'm gonna have multiple chapters for you to read at once so that something you can look forward to. I'm happy you're starting to like my story more and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!<em>

_SmartCookieLovesTacos: I'm happy you enjoyed it! Plot development is crazy exciting and I hope you like the many twists and turns that will be coming up in the future ;)_

_Hibisha: It was really fast but I did update so enjoy!_

_Lanieluvslollipops: Haha I am secretly am ButchxBubbles too, shhhh...but I'm not sure if that will happen in this story. You'll just have to find out ;) And your review got me back on my writing feet so I thank you for that! Hope you like the chapter!_

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><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Hey Bubbles," Boomer replied on the phone, "I haven't seen you in a while. What's been up?" Boomer wasn't doing anything, just relaxing, so he decide to call his girlfriend. They hadn't talked in what felt like a couple days and he was starting to miss her voice again. Although the phone wasn't the same, it would have to do.

"Umm, nothing really. I mean I went out to club again the other day and since then I've just been chilling you know?"

"...Really...huh you've been going to the club a lot lately. Did Brianna go with you?" Boomer was curious, what was so great about the club that made his girlfriend keep going back. If it was just Brianna then he would understand but maybe...no he had to stop thinking that way. He loved and trusted Bubbles with all his heart so there was no reason to question.

"Well...no she didn't. She went to one of those frat parties so I just went by myself," she said.

Boomer grew worried then, how could she go to the club by herself? Did she know about the many bad things that could have happened to her? "Why did you go by yourself? Don't you know what could have happened? And why would you go by yourself, no, what made you go by yourself?" Boomer questioned. He got up off his bed and started walking around his room, a way for him to release his sudden jitters. She really didn't know how worried she made him.

"Calm down! Listen I went because a friend asked me to meet up with him so I wasn't alone, okay? I was perfectly fine then and I'm perfectly fine now so you don't have to worry. I'm not that stupid where I'd go to a nightclub by myself."

Boomer sighed; he couldn't help but worry about her. She was too precious, too innocent and he wouldn't know what to with himself if anything bad happened to her. "I'm sorry. Listen it's just whenever I hear stuff like that it worries me but I'm glad you had friend there and wasn't alone the whole night. Who was he by the way, your friend?" It didn't hurt to know, he knew all of Bubbles' guy friends and they wouldn't do anything.

Bubbles replied, "...Well...he's just one of Brianna's friends but he's really cool and nice...and I told him I had a boyfriend and he was alright with it and said we were just friends so...yeah."

Boomer was surprised to say the least. One of Brianna's friends? He didn't trust her or her friends so that put Boomer on edge, who knows what they might be planning. "...What's his name, I might know him," he asked, hiding the worried undertone in his voice.

"...Butch. His name is Butch."

Boomer's heart dropped at the sound of that name. Butch was his brother, well half-brother, and he hated him. Suddenly old memories came back to him of the many fights him and his brother had when they were younger and the emotions associated with them. He didn't even know Butch was in town nevertheless how long he's been here. His fist clenched and his breathing became heavier, anger practically seeping out of his pores, "Listen Bubbles do not hang out or talk to Butch ever again! He's bad news," Boomer growled as he warned his girlfriend.

"Wait why?! Butch is nice and-"

"I said don't talk to him anymore! He's a bad guy alright! Look can you please just listen to me and drop it, I'll handle him, just don't be with him again, okay?"

"But-"

"Okay!" Boomer interrupted, not trying to hear her defend him. Butch was a bad guy and he didn't want Bubbles associating with anyone like that.

"...okay..." Bubbles answered, subdued.

Boomer gave a sigh of relief, "Good... listen I'm sorry for blowing up like that but Butch is really a bad guy and its only a matter of time before you see that and I don't want you to see it. Just please listen to me okay?" Boomer asked in a much calmer tone, believing she had gotten his point.

"I will...so did you watch the new episode of that show you like yesterday?" Bubbles asked, changing topics.

"Yeah I did! It was a really good episode too, he..." Boomer continued talking about the show appreciating her changing the topic but his mind was only on one thing right now. Boomer went to his contacts and found the number under the name "Bitch". He sent a text, "Stay away from Bubbles or you'll regret it".

"...yeah it was a really good episode!"

* * *

><p>Brick smirked, "You know, we can't keep doing this," he looked down at Blossom who was equally as naked snuggled up against him. They had ended up sleeping together whenever they got together to finish their project—it was fun for them, but not good for their project. They were only halfway done and it was due at the end of the week, a sure sign of procrastination, guess that's what happens when you're partners with your new girlfriend.<p>

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, "but you're so distracting." She stared at him with those beautiful pink eyes that he couldn't get enough of and he wondered, how did he get so lucky? "Plus this feels perfect, you know? Just laying here with you, cuddling and talking. I had only wished for this and who would of thought that you would be the one to give it to me." Blossom laid her head back down on his chest and breathed in deeply, relaxing her muscles again.

He had to admit that she was right—this was perfect—and he'd hate to ruin that. This was the happiest that he had been in a long time, something he never felt after his hook ups where he usually woke up alone with a bad hangover, this time it was completely different. He wasn't hung over and his girl was still there next to him, it was then that he realized that this was what he had been secretly wanting, and Blossom gave it to him. Brick put his hand on her head and started stroking her hair, something he knew she liked as she snuggled herself further into him. He smiled, this is nice, he thought, and slowly his eyes began to close as he lost consciousness.

After what felt like a minute, his eyes opened again but the person he expected to see wasn't there. Instead it was his ex looking at him with her casual smirk and mischievous eyes, some of the things he loved about her. He smiled, thinking of the good times they had had together before she started to morph. Her cheeks started to hollow out and open sores began to appear all over her body. Her face started to sag, she still had the same expression and he knew she was the same person but, she unrecognizable. He couldn't recognize his once girlfriend, instead she was a mere shadow and deranged form of her. She kept morphing until she was basically skin stretched over a skeleton. She stared at him again; her eyes now too big for her face and her skin now a sickly yellow color, and Brick shivered himself awake.

He looked down and there was Blossom staring at him with concern written all over her face. He wasn't sure what that dream had meant but he was sure of one thing, "Blossom, promise me you won't ever do drugs okay?"

Her expression changed from worried to curious, "…Okay but, where is this coming from?" she asked slowly, she could tell he was trying to figure him out, searching his face for something she could read.

"It's just…I had a bad experience with drugs and I don't want you to end up going down the same path because I know you're living with that pothead Tyler and, I don't know, I don't want to be worried."

Blossom paused for a moment before responding, "That's sweet," she smiled, "and I promise I won't do drugs. Plus I've been living with Tyler for so long that I know I don't want to, so you don't have to worry."

"…Are you sure?"

"Positive," she reassured. That made Brick feel a lot better, after his last experience he didn't want to take any chances. He began to relax again—feeling at ease now that she had sworn to stay clean. His thoughts started to wander towards their still unfinished project when Blossom asked, "Do you mind telling me your past experience with drugs and stuff? I mean did you overcome an addiction or…" she trailed off but Brick knew what she meant.

He sighed, knowing he would have to tell her this story sooner or later. Immediately images of his ex-girlfriend with him came into his head, images he had managed to keep at bay. His breath hitched and he nervously sighed again. "Well…to answer your question…no, I didn't overcome an addiction but…one of my close friends did. No, not one of my close friends—my _best_ friend at the time—and she was my ex-girlfriend."

He paused and looked at Blossom to see if she had reacted in any way but she hadn't, her face still had that concerned and curious look that she had before. Brick smirked, "I loved her, you know, and we did almost everything together. We hung out with the same friends and they were a party group of people. We had fun with them for a little while, drinking and smoking here and there, we had a good time…but that ended when some of us started to want more. They wanted stronger drugs because they're tolerance was going up and I could tell some of them were already addicted to the weed we smoked sometimes.

"We all went to a party one day, my ex and our friends, and we were having a good time drinking and chilling. That was when one of us, who was already addicted to smoking weed, brought out some coke and said, 'We need to do this.' We all were dumb and drunk, and even though I knew I shouldn't do it, I did it anyway cause everybody went into the bathroom and snorted—even my girlfriend.

"After that, I don't remember much, but I do remember waking up outside of the house, on the grass. I remember going around and looking for everyone, and they were all safe, but I remember how scared I was that I couldn't remember what had happened after I took the drug last night. It was like a time skip over a blur in the middle and I hated it. After that most of us didn't want to take the hard stuff anymore, we were happy with just the weed, but some of us wanted more, and the group split up, my girlfriend going with the druggies.

"I knew she was shooting up, I saw her open sores and how her appearance changed from this nice face and banging body to what looked like a living zombie. I was disgusted and I was scared, she was killing herself and I could see it but she couldn't. We started to argue a lot and I started to stray because she was turning into someone I couldn't recognize."

"Wait…you were cheating on her?" Blossom asked.

Brick smirked, "Yeah I was…with her sister too," he chuckled but Blossom looked less than amused, "I was stupid back then, I didn't know how to handle the situation. After a year of her doing some stuff I wouldn't even think of doing, she called me. At that time, she had never called me unless she wanted money for drugs, which was always. So I answered the phone, ready to get into another argument with her—but I will always remember what she had said instead. She told me, 'Thank you Brick, for everything. I love you, goodbye,' and she hung up. Immediately I knew what she meant and I couldn't sleep one bit after that. The next day, they found her in her basement dead, she had overdosed herself. After that I was scared clean. Our group split apart and I haven't talked to them since…I just don't want that to happen to you too."

Brick was quiet after that, having finished his story he felt physically and emotionally drained. The more he thought about that, the more depressed he became, and Blossom was the only one he had told that story. Breaking the silence, Blossom whispered, "I'm sorry…I didn't know. I promise that will never happen to me, I promise." She reached over and gave him a long deep kiss which he gladly accepted. She didn't notice, but for the first time in year Brick started to cry, the tears silently flowing from his eyes.

* * *

><p>Another glass fell on the floor and shattered into numerous shards and Buttercup groaned—this was not a very good first day. Ace looked like he wasn't getting annoyed—I mean what do you expect when you hire a girl with absolutely no bartending experience—but yet again who could tell with those glasses of his on, who knows what his expression was. She silently sighed before picking up the broom and sweeping the many pieces of glass into a corner. There was still an hour before the club opened but Ace said he would stop training her when the first girl came up to get a drink before opening. There was a two drink limit for all the girls, one of the many things she had to remember on top of drink mixtures and such. So far the job didn't seem hard but it did require some effort, something she was not sure she would have for a long time. Along with her energy, she was really unsure about how long she would keep her figure. Buttercup had to get dressed in a skin tight corset top that really pushed up her boobs and made them hurt a little but luckily her bottom half could be comfy since she would be behind the bar all night. It was still a reason for concern as tight clothes would expose even the tiniest of bellies and that wasn't okay.<p>

Buttercup turned around and saw Ace looking at his watch, "Alright BC, I'm heading back to check on the girls. Hold down the fort here, just smile, be nice, and don't forget to take people's money—this is _not_ an open bar tonight. It is a Monday so I don't expect to get busy but you never know. If I see you drowning, I'll come over to help. Good luck." He smirked and left the bar, leaving Buttercup by herself. She smiled a little, she hadn't been called BC in a while, and it was nice to hear from someone, even if that someone was her boss.

She looked around the club, girls were practicing and talking in their skimpy outfits, just like when she had first came for her interview. She hadn't made any friends and wasn't like she really wanted too. The girls here were either really pretty or had a banging body, few had both. The girls here were either really pretty or had a banging body, but few had both, and it was then she realized how lucky she was to just be behind the bar. It must be hard to dance on stage or on a pole in front of guys just to turn them on and immediately Buttercup gained respect for these girls. They must be really confident to do what they do.

Buttercup saw a girl coming towards her and she tried to look busy by picking up a rag and cleaning the wooden counters. The girl walked up to the counter and Buttercup looked up, ready to take her order. The girl was someone she had seen before; it was the blonde one, the one that interrupted her interview. She looked the same, with lots of make-up and too straight hair, but this time she was in a skimpy schoolgirl outfit. Buttercup forced a smile, trying to be nice; after all, this girl wasn't her biggest fan. "Hi, what would you like today," she asked, trying to muster her best Bubbles impression but failing.

The girl scoffed, "Your name's Buttercup right," she nodded, "Well listen, Buttercup, your nice girl acts needs a lot of work. It's too forced and guys may not be too smart but they can sense fakeness, and that's not going to get you tips," the girl offered.

Buttercup was confused; didn't this girl not like her? It seemed obvious from before so what was this? "Thanks I guess…" Buttercup said slowly, "what's your name again?"

"Brat," the girl answered, "and before you ask, yes, that is my real name too." She smiled a little and even Buttercup could tell it was genuine, something she was not expecting. What was that act before?

"Wait, I thought you didn't like me?" Buttercup asked, starting to become confused, was this girl trying to pull something over her?

"I don't like you specifically," she answered, "I just didn't like the decision you were making because…too many girls carelessly make the decision to work here without thinking it through. I did that and now I wish I had thought it through and realized what I was getting myself into." She sighed, "…It's just complicated being a stripper. It's hard to tell people because you are ashamed of what you do but have to do it because there's nothing else. I get so jealous of the girls that leave here and become successful because there doing what I want to do."

She stopped and Buttercup just stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to say. She had thought that Brat didn't like her but now she was spilling out her heart to her and she had nothing to say. They had more in common than she thought, Buttercup was also doing this because she had too and now that she was here she was rethinking her decision. Was it really worth it? To work here just to make a little money but being always judged by society. Buttercup's thoughts were interrupted as a girl she recognized, Brute, came up to the bar.

"Heyyo BC! I see you met my annoying sister Brat over here," Brute pointed to her sister and Brat scowled.

"Shut up Brute! You are so ugly like I don't even know how you work here! Get out of my face with that annoying shit because you're not one to talk," Brat retorted angrily.

"Woah there, a little feisty today aren't we?" Brute cocked her eyebrow in curiosity and Brat cracked a smile. It was amazing how easily Brute had lightened up the previously somber mood. "Sorry my sister was unloading all her troubles onto you. It's no big deal, she does it to everyone," she said to Buttercup as she leaned on the counter while Brat stood behind her with her arms crossed.

Buttercup was genuinely amused; they were just like her and her sisters. "Nah, it's okay. She actually gave me some good advice," Brat smirked at Buttercup's comment.

"Well I guess that's okay…" Brute trailed off as Ace came on the intercom, "Girls there's 15 minutes until opening tonight so I need you all to come backstage and do your touch ups before the customers start coming in. I don't expect this night to be busy so you better try and get as much money as you can," Ace finished and some music came on as some of the girls started going backstage. Brute and Brat waved goodbye as they headed backstage. From the announcements it really seemed like Ace knew why most of them were here.

She saw Ace wink at her—his black eyes surprisingly warm as they appeared above his sunglasses—before he left to open the front door. All previous thoughts were gone as Buttercup now worried about the night ahead. She remembered that Ace had told her that bartending was still a performance and that you had to act your best to get what you wanted, by that she knew he had meant tips. Buttercup put her game face as the first guy came in and sat at the bar.

Buttercup managed her most flirtatious smile, "Hey cutie—what would you like today?" she asked as she leaned over the counter showing her cleavage. She could see the guy's eyes wander from her face down to the things in front of him and she knew she had him.

"A beer please," he responded.

"Coming right up," Buttercup replied as she walked over to the beer faucet, feeling the man's eyes staring at her butt as she walked. She smirked, feeling a little better than when she had first gotten there.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Hey everyone sorry this took so long but I had school and laziness going on in my life which is a very bad combination. But since it's summer Ill have more time and i will be putting up more chapters so I'm not done! This story will get finished I am determined! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys are great and I really appreciate them, they always make me want to write. Honestly, without you guys I don't know what chapter I'd be on...**

**Well I hope you enjoy Chapter 7 of TOTGA and since this chapter took so long for me to put up it's a whole Butch and Bubbles chapter. Enjoy **

* * *

><p>Walks calmed her nerves and made her forget the drama around her. With her light jacket protecting her from the brisk air, Bubbles was currently at peace, walking by herself through town. These walks cleared her head since there was no one but herself and the nature around her. This part of town wasn't the best, she realized, as she recognized the slightly worn down homes and the increasing number of graffiti on the sidewalks and buildings. The buildings just seemed washed out and gray after years of neglecting.<p>

It didn't take long before she realized where she was—right in front of the garage where Butch worked at. Was it a coincidence? She used to always walk by this place and not notice it but now here she was, standing in front of the garage where Butch worked at—again. Bubbles hadn't seen him since they last hung out and made up at Radcliff, the night she vaguely remembered. She remembered him apologizing and them dancing and drinking but after that it was a blur. She had no idea what had happened between them or where their relationship now stood, but she did know that he had brought her home safely with her clothes still on. That meant a lot, and at least she knew that she didn't have to worry about if she had cheated on Boomer. Butch had proved that night that he was trustworthy and not a bad guy, if he was going to do anything he would have done it that night, when she was sufficiently drunk and didn't know what she was doing, so why not go see him at his job, they were friends, right?

Bubbles was about to head inside when suddenly Boomer's words came back to her, "…don't talk to him anymore…he's a bad guy!" Boomer's such a worrywart, she thought. They were friends and he didn't seem like a bad guy, he hadn't done anything wrong to her even if he was jerkish at times, so why would she stop seeing him. Boomer's just paranoid, she concluded, as she went inside the garage.

This garage looked like any other garage, with cars, various tools and supplies strewn around the workplace. There was only a couple people working that she could see, maybe Butch was off today? She found the office door on the side wall and decided to start there, that would be the best place to look to see if he was or wasn't here.

A bell rang as she walked through the door, signifying that she had just walked in. She saw an older man at the counter wave her over and she smiled as she walked over to him.

"Well what can I do for you young lady? You need your car fixed?" The man asked, giving her a lopsided smile. He seemed nice—polite—and that was all she could really ask for.

"No I don't need my car fixed but I'm looking for someone. Is Butch working here today?"

The man's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose in realization, "I thought I recognized you! You're Butch's girl aren't ya? You came here a couple weeks ago, I remember. See I never forget a face, names yeah but never a face. My names Matt by the way and yeah he's here being a moody brat like usual, I'll go get him since his shift is about over anyway."

Matt left Bubbles standing there with a blush on her face. Being called Butch's girl was not what she was expecting. They were just friends, that's it, nothing more and nothing less, friends. But this man thought she was his girl—is that what they looked like, a couple?

Bubbles' thoughts were interrupted when Matt came back through the door with an irritated looking Butch. "I'll just leave you two here to chat," Matt said with a smirk and a wink before he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Hey," Bubbles started, feeling a little awkward since it looked like Butch didn't want to be bothered by anyone or anything.

Butch gave an irritated sigh, clearly she was not the one he wanted to see, "Why are you here…again?"

"I can't visit a friend without a reason? I mean we are _friends _right?" She asked, suddenly feeling like coming here was a big mistake.

Butch scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, "When did i say that?"

Bubbles' face flushed with embarrassment, "Well then I guess I'll leave since I clearly came here for no reason," she said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. He was always acting like that to her, one day he was a jerk and the next day he was being nice and apologizing. Why did she put up with it? Maybe Boomer was right, maybe Butch was a bad guy.

She could feel her tears building up behind her eyes; she was never one to easily accept rejection. Always the emotional one, she thought they were becoming good friends, she thought she had felt a connection but maybe she was wrong. It had been a long time since she had made a good guy friend, since Boomer would always try to fight them off. She just wanted someone new to talk to, was that too much to ask? Bubbles was almost at the door when Butch spoke, "Hey, since you're already here, do you think you might wanna get a bite to eat? I'm not really doing anything right now so…"

She stopped and turned around, and saw Butch—the ever so confident Butch—standing awkwardly looking at the wall with his hand behind his head, trying to avoid looking at her face. She should have said no, she should have left and never have talked to him again, she should have told him off and told him she had a boyfriend who would hurt him if they kept talking, she should have, she _would_ have, but being her she just felt like she couldn't say no. Him standing there awkwardly, trying not to look at her, he looked _nervous_ no matter how well he hid it, it was…cute.

"Sure, that'd be cool," she smiled, her sadness now replaced with a much different emotion.

Butch smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Okay then, I hope you know how to hold on."

He was back to his normal self; Bubbles deadpanned, "What…?"

~X~

The ride over was eventful to say the least. It turned out Butch had an expensive looking black sports bike, "This is my baby," he had said proudly when he showed her the bike. Bubbles was a little stunned when he showed her, she had never ridden on the back of one before and she was a little nervous to say the least. He had let her use his helmet while he went without one, "Wouldn't want to mess up your pretty little face," he had said teasingly to her. The ride however, was one she would always remember. The wind rippling through her hair, the extra risk, it was almost like she was flying as she held on to Butch for her life; it was something she could get used to.

They were currently eating at a fast food place a few miles from campus. It was just them two sitting outside at one of the tables; a conversation wasn't flowing since Butch was currently stuffing his face full of burger meat and french fries. She never understood him—he was a mystery to her. His mood was always changing and she didn't even know what kind of relationship they had at the moment. Whether it was good or bad, she didn't know, she thought it was good but she had been proven wrong not too long before…

Butch finished eating his food and sighed contently, "That feels good, fast food after work—nothing like it," he commented as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his now full belly. He looked happy, Bubbles noted, it was the first time she had really seen him at peace and truly content. Was this the real Butch and not the jerk she had met before?

"So," Butch started as he opened his eyes and sat up in his chair, "would you like to tell me why my _little brother_ texted me a few days ago telling me to stay away from you or 'I'd regret it'? Are you guys like, friends or something?" he asked with a small smirk and playful eyes, he looked slightly amused with this situation.

Bubbles, on the other hand, felt her stomach drop. That couldn't have been Boomer, Boomer only had one brother—Brick—so who could this person be? "…What's his name? I don't know who your little brother is..." Bubbles asked tentatively, hoping that it wasn't her boyfriend.

"His name is _Boomer_…"

Her eyes widened, not only had her boyfriend went behind her back and told Butch to stay away from her, a sign that he clearly didn't trust her, but he also had hidden the fact that he had another older brother. And here she thought she knew all about Boomer…

"Oh, him," Bubbles sighed, getting ready for the lie she knew she was about to tell, "I think he likes me or something. We're friends but I don't see him like he sees me. I'm sorry that he threatened you, I'll make sure it won't happen again." She didn't know why she had lied. It just seemed like if she had told him that Boomer was her boyfriend this situation would become a lot worse than it was, but at least she knew that last part wasn't lie—Boomer and her needed to have a talk. All the distrust and secrets needed to be stopped and sorted through for their relationship to work out, if not then she didn't know how they'd end up.

Butch smirked, "It's alright. The shrimp wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. He's always been the weak one, the baby, his threats don't work on me, never have, never will."

Bubbles could hear it, just a little bit, some emotion he was hiding in his voice. She didn't know what it was but she most definitely could tell it wasn't happy. "Are you guys not friends?"

Butch laughed, "_Friends_? We were never friends! I hate that son of a bitch! He's a spoiled brat who always gets what he wants and…" he trailed off; Bubbles could see he was trying to collect himself before he spoke again, "…we're just not on good terms, never have been. It's just the way it is."

"But-" Butch shot her a look that stopped her before she could finish her statement. If looks could kill, she would have been dead. The only person who she had ever seen be that angry was Buttercup and she knew how Buttercup acted when she was angry. That look told her everything she needed to know, this was a sensitive situation and would not be solved at their little lunch table. What had happened between those two to make them hate each other so much?

It was quiet after that. Butch had his eyes closed and was pinching the bridge of nose while breathing, he was clearly trying to calm down after almost exploding at her. Bubbles got up and threw away their stuff before she went to the bathroom; Butch obviously needed some time alone. When she came back he looked calmer, just slightly irritated, staring at the cars in the parking lot. It was funny how fast he could compose himself, but Bubbles suspected that he was still angry and that his emotions were just pushed aside, buried again to be uncovered at another time. When Buttercup was angry she was angry for a while, she didn't think people could actually control their anger as well as he had, especially Butch, he had looked ready to kill.

He turned to her when she sat down, "So, wanna go for another ride?"

She was still mad at Boomer and she liked riding on the motorcycle so why not. It was just what she needed to get her mind off of Boomer and her personal drama. "Sure, why not."

* * *

><p>He could feel her holding on to him while the wind whipped around them in every direction. Sometimes she even laid her head down on his back which made him faintly smile; it was nice to know that he was needed, even if it was for a little bit. Butch rarely ever let girls on his bike and when he did he always knew he was getting something in return. But with Bubbles, he didn't know if he was getting something out of this. Why was he doing this, taking her out and stuff? This wasn't him, it wasn't what he did. He was supposed to have slept with her and been gone by now, out of each other's lives, but she was still here, holding on to whatever relationship they had. He wanted to say it was annoying but it was actually kind of nice having someone to talk to whether he wanted to admit it or not.<p>

Butch slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. They were currently on a country road that had no cars on it and no lights. "Where are we?" Bubbles asked, looking a little worried as she took off my helmet and looked around. She looked pretty hot with that helmet actually...

Butch smirked, "We're going to my hideout, a place very few people know about. You should be considered lucky."

"Um, where is this hideout?" She replied, looking around again.

He pointed through the trees. His hideout was a place he was pretty sure that only he and his mother knew about. He wasn't exactly sure of the reason why he had brought her here; it just felt like a place she needed to see, like she could actually appreciate this place more than other people could.

"Through the woods?" Bubbles asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you coming?" Butch moved over to the tree line and nodded for her to follow him before he went in, completely disappearing from the street. He could hear Bubbles follow behind him as he kept pushing through the path he knew by heart, stepping over tree roots and pushing aside branches and leaves. The lighting in the woods was blue, with the shadows of the trees long and completely covering the ground. This was the sign that this was the best time of the day to come.

"Ugh, god I hope I don't get ticks," she said under her breath. He grinned at the comment when he emerged from the woods, not even a few minutes after they had started, and heard her come out the forestry right after him. "…_Wow_…" she said breathlessly in awe.

They had come out on a cliff that overlooked the city. You could see the whole city skyline and saw the sun setting right behind it, making the buildings look dark. It was a sight to see and it was so peaceful, you could hear nothing but the murmur of the highway and nature, some of the sounds that calmed him down the most.

He sat down at his usual spot in front of the edge, stretching his legs out on the space of land in front of him. Bubbles quickly followed and sat down next to him, holding her knees close to her body, "It's beautiful out here," she commented, "how did you find this place?"

"My mom used to take me here when I was little. We would always come to see the sunset and have picnics and stuff, but eventually she stopped coming and I would always just come here by myself just to think or get away from reality for a little bit." Butch faintly smiled, remembering the good times he used to have with his mom up here. They were about the only good memories associated with this place.

Bubbles nodded, "Why'd she stop coming?"

Butch hesitated before replying, not sure if he wanted to go into it or not. He would have normally gave some bullshit answer but that didn't feel right. It felt like she needed to know more so what was wrong with telling her. "She was messed up, involved with the wrong crowd and all that, doing what she needed to do to get by. She was just busy, couldn't make the time to stop by here anymore." He sighed, hidden emotions were now returning. He could feel them creeping up as images of his troubled childhood came back to haunt him. He closed his eyes, trying to force that door closed again, their were too many hurtful memories to be let loose again, especially with her here.

He could tell Bubbles noticed the change in his behavior and she quickly changed subjects, "It really is beautiful up here. I would have never known this spot existed," she said, still looking on at the bright colored sky against the dark cityscape.

He scoffed, why was it so easy with her? Why were conversations so easy and how could she get him to just say information he was normally so abrasive about? "Yeah, I know. It's funny, as many times as I've seen this sunset it still never gets old. It's comforting you know, having one thing that's always there and doesn't change."

He looked over at her. Her baby blue eyes were shining as she turned to return his gaze. Butch felt something just then, a nervous feeling. Wait, was he falling for her? His mom's words echoed in his mind as they looked at each other, _"When you find a girl that just feels right, you should bring her up here. You'll know when you feel calm and nervous around them at the same time. That usually means you have feelings for that person."_

_"But mom, what if I bring the wrong girl up here?" the young Butch asked._

_"You won't honey, just go with what you feel and everything will be alright."_

Dammit, he had _not_ caught some type of feelings for this girl. Butch Jojo did not catch feelings; he just went with what he felt like doing, his impulses. Yeah, that's it, and what he felt like doing was either punching something or kissing her. Seeing as she was the only thing around to punch, he decided to do the next best thing.

Going off his impulses, he moved forward. His hand went up to her cheek as he guided his head toward hers. He felt her lean in to his touch as their lips met. Everything else seemed to disappear and it was just them. There was something different about her, he felt like there was a sort of fire between them and it felt good. He wanted more.

He started moving his lips roughly against hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, her legs going over his legs. His kisses became more needy and passionate as they continued. He wanted more, _needed_ more. It got his mind off of life and his past. The only thing that mattered was that moment and he was going to make it last as long as it could.

She was going along with him, her mouth moving along with his. Everything was going great but as his hand started to creep up her shirt she broke off. She looked away from him with a blush, she was ashamed or nervous, maybe both it looked like. Had he done something wrong?

She moved away from him and stood up and looked at the city: the sun was gone and now there was just an orange outline of the city left and stars were staring at them from above in the dark purple sky. "…We should go," she said quietly, still not looking at him in the eye.

What was wrong? It had felt so right and he knew she felt it too, she was going right along with him, so why was she acting this way now. He was hurt, but he wouldn't admit that, so being Butch he just put his feelings aside, saving it for another time, and replacing it with anger.

"I guess so," he replied, hiding what he refused to feel. Butch got up and led the way back. He could feel her holding his arm as it was hard to see and she didn't know the way back, it felt nice. They came back out at the dark street where the bike was and he got on.

"…Sorry but I just want to be friends," she said, still not looking directly at him. _Friends_, funny how that word made him feel worse than before. He could feel his anger and frustration rise just thinking about it.

"Okay, sure," Butch said as he started the bike. This wasn't the end, Butch Jojo was never a friend when he didn't want to be, and this was certainly not one of those times.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah that was the chapter, did you like it? I hope so, I did, the next chapter should be up in a few weeks I'm hoping. Who do you think Bubbles will pick in the end? Leave a review and tell me cus that would make me super happy or just leave a review cus that would make my day too. =)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it is, Chapter 8! Thank you for all your guys' reviews, they brightened my day, especially** _SmartCookieLovesTacos_ **and**_ Rhearenee_**! You guys are the best and you encourage me so much. Sadly my month of August is completely jam packed so i won't have much time for writing so hopefully this longer chapter will make up for it :/ I know, hate me, but next chapter will definitely be up ASAP! I Promise! **

**Enjoy! :)**

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><p>Buttercup looked down at her now slightly bloated abdomen and sighed, she wasn't going to be able to keep this a secret for much longer—a month, maximum—and this top she had on wasn't doing her any good. Sure she still looked good and nobody had noticed yet but she could clearly see the difference in her body shape and it wouldn't be long before others did too. She sighed again and gently placed her hand on her stomach—it seemed like it wasn't too long ago when she had found out she was pregnant and now here she was starting to show while working as a bartender in a strip club. Seems like the complete opposite situation a pregnant person should be in if you asked her. Would anybody approve of this? Her father, her sisters, would they approve? Suddenly, she felt like a failure, not only had she not told her sisters yet, she hadn't even seen them since Bubbles' birthday, and surely Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes Blossom wouldn't approve of her working at a strip club…maybe it would be best if she didn't tell them at all. No, she shook off the thought before returning to cleaning up the bar.<p>

Golden Apples was now closed and girls were starting to leave having changed and some having taken off their makeup. Buttercup was about to leave, after having cleaned the bar and the glasses from tonight, it was time for her to go, she was exhausted—being pregnant and standing for hours is not a good combination for anybody. She was just grabbing her jacket from under the counter when Brat showed up, changed, in her sweatpants and hoodie. She never took her make up off here—she said it took too much time.

"What's up Buttercup?" she asked with a sly little smile.

Buttercup frowned; she clearly knew what was up. "Oh nothing, everything's great. My feet do not hurt like a bitch right now and I'm not tired in the least from my late night five hour shift at work. So, yes, everything's just _peachy_. Thanks for asking."

Brat held her hands up in innocence, "Whoa chill with the attitude I was just asking." Buttercup gave her a knowing look and she laughed, "You need a drink or something BC, you've been on edge a little more than usual lately. Here, I'll even buy you a drink, what do you say," she asked.

"Um, no thanks, I'm not in the mood," Buttercup replied effortlessly. She could see Brat's contemplating look and grew worried. There was no way she could know that she was pregnant from refusing one drink.

"Huh, really? Cus you're _never_ in the mood. In fact, I haven't seen you take one drink since you've been here, why is that?"

Buttercup could see the gears turning in Brat's head, it was only a matter of time before she put the pieces together, and she gulped, feeling herself sweat. She had to think fast or else she'd be out of luck, out of a job, and out of money, "I just…don't like to drink at work. I do better when I'm sober," Buttercup lied. It was swift and came out beautifully, anybody would have just dropped it right there, but Brat wasn't going away.

Buttercup could see her thinking; she could see the retort that was coming out of her mouth and she decided to cut it short. "But-"

"Listen I don't like to drink at work. How many times do I have to tell you? Stop asking me all these questions and let me go home," Buttercup interrupted. She needed to go home, now. As she was about to rush out of there, Brat grabbed her arm and held her in place, she was surprisingly strong despite her slim figure.

"Did you…gain some weight Buttercup?"

That really shook her, was it noticeable? She had gained some weight which now sat on her stomach and her boobs and it being noticeable meant she had to say bye to her current life and start worrying about the one she was going to live. Hell she was already living that life. The question flustered her so before she had time to think of a good lie all she could say in response was, "No I didn't gain any weight. Why would you ask me that?"

It wasn't good enough; she could see that Brat saw right through her blatant lie and was now putting the pieces together. This was it, she was finished, her job was over, her way of paying for her food and expenses were gone. She could see Brat finally decipher the truth as her eyes widened and she held her in place. It was time to go, she didn't want to hear it, the truth, come out of her mouth. Buttercup could feel the tears, damn hormones, and held them back—she was not going to be made a fool out of.

"Buttercup…you're pregnant, aren't you?" Brat asked in a whisper.

Buttercup jerked her arm away from Brat, "_No_…I'm definitely not pregnant," she denied, flustered. Her composure was shattered and Brat now knew the truth, in fact she could have said yes and had had the same response. Things were not going according to her plan.

"Buttercup," Brat started softly, "listen, honey, I understand, I was in your exact same situation when I was pregnant with my son a few years ago. It's hard, I know, but you don't have to do it by yourself," she said.

Buttercup was stunned, she would have never guessed that Brat had had a kid, she was so fit and young, and they had to be around the same age, so to be pregnant when she was so young had to be a lot harder than her situation was now. Suddenly, Buttercup had more respect for her than she ever had. "Who said I was doing this by myself? I'm doing fine on my own," she replied stubbornly.

Brat gave her a knowing look, "If you aren't then why are you working here?" Buttercup started to say something in protest but she had nothing to say, no lie would have made sense, she was beaten. She sighed, suddenly feeling even more tired than before and at this point she just wanted to go back to her house and fall asleep in her nice warm and cozy bed, not some cold college dorm with people she didn't like.

"That's what I thought," Brat smiled, "here give me your number and I'll send you mine. Call me whenever you need someone to talk to. Trust me, it helps a lot more than you think." She handed Buttercup her phone and she typed in her number. She went back to the homepage and was about to hand Brat her phone back when she saw a picture of Brat and a little boy—her son she supposed—as the background. It was a really cute picture, her and her son were hugging and they were both smiling, he looked to be about three or four years old. He had deep blue eyes, just like his mother, and strawberry blonde hair, she could easily tell that he was her son, but there was something else she recognized, Buttercup knew those facial features but couldn't tell who they were from.

She handed the phone back, "Is that your son on your background?"

Brat smiled down at the picture, it was warm smile, a _motherly_ smile. "Yeah that's him, my little bugger. His name is Grayson, I love him."

Buttercup could see that Brat was a good mother and she could see that she really loved her son. She looked down at her belly and placed her hand on it, suddenly she could see herself in the same position, looking lovingly at a picture of her son or daughter. It made her want to cry—damn hormones—and in that moment she decided that she wanted to keep her kid for the moments like these and to give it the loving memories of a mom that she never had.

Buttercup was about to ask some more questions but she realized that it was currently none of her business and she was too tired to care. Really she just wanted to go to sleep. "I'm gonna go. I'm tired and pregnant and all…oh and please don't tell anyone, especially Ace."

Brat smirked, "I guess so since you asked…" she replied sarcastically. Buttercup chuckled and playfully smacked her on the arm, they had a lot more in common than she thought.

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><p>Well, Blossom could officially admit that she was now beyond stressed at this point. Her research paper with Brick was due tomorrow and she still had a couple pages left to write and not much content to go in it—definitely a case of severe writers block. Brick had written the first half of the paper and had given it to her yesterday to work on after finishing the first five pages. She sighed and ran a hand through her now messy hair, this was going to be a long night, and all because of two dumb pages.<p>

She could hear her roommate Tyler leave her room, probably going to a party somewhere, it was quite a beautiful Thursday night. Tyler was passing in front of her doorway but Blossom didn't even look in her direction, she had to finish typing this paper, and didn't notice that she was now standing in her room.

"Jeez Blossy, I've seen you stressed before but never _this _stressed, you're super uptight right now," she noted with concern in her voice.

Blossom appreciated the concern, and couldn't help but silently agree, but she was on a timeline with a strict task at hand, she couldn't afford to lose the precious hours that were ahead of her. "Yeah well what're you gonna do? I mean I have to get this paper done since it's due at eight in the morning." She groaned, this was going to be a very long night, she was going to need some coffee.

"Well," Tyler started, her voice rising, "I'm going to a little party tonight so I was thinking that you should come with me—you know, get your mind off of your project for a little bit; it really helps, trust me."

"No, I can't. I have to finish this," she rejected, not skipping a beat. Really it was a nice offer, Blossom would have loved to go to a party to get her mind off of things but she knew what type of parties Tyler went to and knew it wasn't right to go, especially after what Brick had asked of her.

"C'mon," Tyler persisted as she moved toward Blossom and put her hands on her shoulders, "the night is young. Honestly I do it all the time. Leaving my work and going to a party I mean. It's a distraction and it's relaxing—it clears the mind. Actually, I bet that if you go and when we come back you don't spit this paper out, then I won't bother you with parties again, deal?"

She didn't know if the distraction would help or not, honestly, but seeing as her thoughts were going nowhere and the writer's block was only getting worse, maybe it was time for a break. Of course, she was already changed into her pajamas and her hair needed to be brushed so Tyler would be late waiting for her and Blossom hated to be late. "But, I'm in my pajamas and I need to brush my hair and I don't want to make you late, so just leave me here, alone, with my paper," Blossom said disheartened.

Tyler smirked, "Nope, I don't think so, you're coming with me. Who cares if I'm late? It's just a little get-together so come on, put on some clothes and let's go. I'll be waiting by the door when you're ready," Tyler smiled and closed the door, leaving Blossom alone once again.

Now she had to go, Tyler was going to miss out if she didn't. Blossom inwardly groaned and reluctantly saved her document before closing the file. She found the clothes she had on earlier and just threw them on, what was the point of getting something clean dirty if it was only just a get-together anyway. After an additional hair brushing and some face touch-ups, she left her room and found Tyler lazily relaxing on their living room chair.

She noticed Blossom walk out and stood up, "You look cute! I really love your sneakers. C'mon let's go, we're walking, the apartment's not that far away so it shouldn't take long." Tyler opened the door and Blossom followed after her, silently asking herself if she had made the right choice and whether or not she should run back to her room and continue staring at her computer screen aimlessly. Needless to say, it wasn't a hard decision.

It was chilly outside of her building and Blossom was regretting forgetting to bring a jacket with her. There were more people out than she thought there would be walking and just hanging around like they didn't have anything to do the next day, and maybe they didn't, but Blossom sure did. Tyler rounded a corner and Blossom followed her to go into the building they were currently standing in front of.

As Blossom continued to follow Tyler through the building she noted the state of the building itself. It was shabby and smelled like cigarettes but surprisingly clean, not exactly the building she was expecting, she expected it to be rundown and littered with trash, almost like some of the dorms on campus. They stopped at an apartment on the third floor, room 303. She could hear the loud music playing through the thin walls and could already tell that this was no small "get-together", this party was a banger and maybe not the best place to be right now.

"This is the place. There are all good people in here so be yourself, relax, and have fun," Tyler told her before she opened the door into the small crowded apartment. Immediately the music came flooding out from inside along with the voices of people enjoying themselves way too much.

Blossom stood there, unsure about what she should do when Tyler grabbed her hand and led her in. Inside it was hot and stuffy. All the people cramped into a space this tiny was never good and not to mention the omnipresent smell of weed and alcohol that accompanied any big party. She could see the people grinding on the wall, the people talking with red plastic cups in the kitchen filled with beer and the potheads smoking on the couch—which, unfortunately, was where Tyler was taking her.

The smell of weed was something she was very much used to by now with Tyler being her roommate and all, but this smell was a lot stronger than what Tyler alone. As they made their way to the living room area Blossom was introduced to a slew of people that she didn't even bother to remember, she knew they certainly wouldn't remember her. As the smell of weed got stronger and they got closer to the couch, she could feel her stomach churn from nervousness—she didn't belong here.

Tyler sat down on a dirty couch and motioned for Blossom to sit down. She sat slowly, pretty sure of what was going to happen next. There was weed all over the table and various things for smoking it—Brick was going to kill her. She saw Tyler take a bong from under the table and filled it with weed. With a lighter she heated the water underneath up to boiling point and then put her mouth in the opening and inhaled the gas.

She lifted her head up and exhaled, the toxic gas flowing out of her mouth and into the air. As Tyler turned to look at Blossom, she could tell Tyler was clearly more relaxed. "Here, take a hit Blossy. It'll ease your soul," she smiled and placed the glass contraption into her hands.

This was it, the moment of truth. She knew she shouldn't take the hit, it was completely against her morals and Brick's wishes, but didn't she already know it would come down to this? It was basically what she had already agreed to coming here. She could have bailed out on so many occasions but now that was here, with the bong in her hand, what other choice did she have? Leave and make a fool out of herself? No, Blossom was not one for embarrassment. She gulped away the last of her worries before putting her mouth to the opening and inhaled the warm gas.

It irritated her throat and made her lungs sting. She wanted so desperately to cough, her bodily reaction to the foreign substance, but she didn't and held it in for a second, just like Tyler did, before blowing it out of her mouth. Surprisingly, it did wonders. Her muscles immediately started to relax and her mind cleared away her worries and troubles and just focused on the now, but she also started to feel a little hungry. Blossom relaxed in the couch and gave Tyler back the bong, "Feels good, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Wonderful," Blossom answered, ready to take another hit, her inhibitions thrown out the window.

* * *

><p>Boomer checked his appearance on his phone camera one last time before placing it back on the table. He sighed, currently Bubbles wasn't here yet and he sat alone at their table for two. She had asked to meet him and he had suggested this restaurant, one of those places where you could get dressed up but didn't have to—she liked those.<p>

He had gelled his hair into a comb over, the way Bubbles liked, and dressed up nicer than usual in a button down shirt an dress pants just for her, he hoped she would return the favor. Their relationship had been kind of stagnate lately. Ever since she had turned 21 they had been talking and hanging out less, it worried him a little but not too much. Bubbles was trustworthy and even though his brothers' ugly head had reared its appearance back in his life, he knew that Bubbles wasn't going to fall for any of his tricks thanks to his warnings.

In the middle of his thoughts, he spotted Bubbles from of the corner of his eye and stood up to greet her. She looked gorgeous as usual but she was especially gorgeous tonight. Her hair was curled and she had on one of those white lace dresses and some baby blue heels that Bubbles told him were called "wedges". He couldn't take his eyes off of her, when was the last time he had seen her dressed up for him? It had been way too long and he just couldn't get enough of her.

She was smiling her beautiful smile as she walked her way over to him and he gave her a hug. "Hey, you look great tonight," he remarked as they broke apart. She still felt perfect in his arms and he could still smell her intoxicating vanilla scent.

"Thanks, you do too," she smiled again and they sat down at their booth. Surprisingly, it was a little awkward. Both of them didn't know where to start off or what to say, they already knew almost everything about each other, what else was there to talk about. So instead they both stuck their noses into the menu, pondering on what to order.

"So, what are you thinking about getting?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She scrunched her face up in thought and Boomer smirked, she looked so cute when she did that, "Um, I might just get a salad. What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking about getting some pasta but I'm not sure yet," he answered and Bubbles nodded in response, the silence returning once again.

The waiter came and introduced himself and they put in their drink orders. When the waiter left Boomer started to notice a few things. It seemed like she was avoiding looking at him, for whatever reason he didn't know, and he got an uneasy feeling in his stomach, that usually meant something was wrong. "I miss you, you know? We haven't hung out in a little bit, I was starting to think you'd forgotten about your boyfriend or something," Boomer chuckled and Bubbles smiled, easing the tension, maybe she was just in a bad mood, it happened to everyone.

She was about to reply when the waiter came back with their drinks and they placed their orders. The waiter left, taking the menus with him, and Bubbles went back to the way she was before, looking at the table and not at him. "Bubbles, is something wrong?" he asked nervously, a pit growing in his stomach.

She sighed, a sign that something was wrong and that she was preparing herself for whatever she was about to say. "We need to talk," she said slowly, still not looking up.

Boomer immediately tensed up. "Talks" were never good and even though they had never had one before, he knew that they almost always came with bad news. Was she going to break up with him? They had been a little distant lately but that wasn't enough to split up, was it? Maybe it was a sign that she was going to break up with him. Boomer could feel his heart drop as he said the words, "A-are you breaking up with me?"

That got her to look at him, "No! No, I wouldn't even think about breaking up with you! This is the best relationship I've ever had," she denied.

Boomer inwardly sighed and let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. They weren't breaking up and plus this was the best relationship she had ever had, it made him smile and he almost forget that she wanted to talk about something. "So, if you don't want to break up, then what is it that you want to talk about?" he was curious at this point, he didn't think that there were any problems in their relationship.

She sighed again before looking up straight into Boomer's eyes with a resolved look on her face, "Why don't you trust me?"

That caught him off guard, of course he trusted her—he trusted her the most out of everyone he knew. "What do you mean, I do trust you."

"No, you don't. If you trusted me then why are you telling me what to do, who I shouldn't see or talk to, following me to parties and things and saying it's a 'coincidence', and why didn't you tell me about Butch and that you were brothers? I don't understand. We're supposed to know everything about each other but yet you hid from me the fact that you had an entire sibling? How do you trust me if you can't even tell me you have a brother?"

She was annoyed, he could tell, but how did she figure out that Butch was his brother? Brick couldn't have told her, he had specifically asked him not to and Brick gave him his word which he never betrayed. That only left Butch himself as the most likely suspect and that meant they had met up or at least talked in some type of way. Boomer could feel his blood start to boil, he had specifically asked Bubbles not to see him or talk to him anymore but she goes against his wishes anyway and talks to him! If anything this would make him not trust her! "I told you to stay away from him! I specifically told you that he was a bad guy and that you shouldn't talk to him, so why are you going against what I directly asked you?!" he said angrily as he struggled to keep his voice low.

"That's not the point-"

"Yes it is the point!" Boomer interrupted, angry and confused.

"No it isn't!" Bubbles responded, slightly raising her voice, "I should be able to make my own judgments and decide whether they're good or bad on my _own_ terms! That's why I went to talk with Butch, to see why you didn't want me to talk with him, to see if he was as bad as you said he was. Turns out, I can trust him, a complete stranger, more than my long-term boyfriend. I shouldn't have to be learning about _your_ family from someone other than _you_."

Boomer was about to retaliate when the waiter came back with their meals. He sat them down and they both started eating in silence. He twirled his pasta around on his fork and slowly ate it, not really having an appetite, and saw Bubbles stabbing her lettuce and eating it with a little more force than was necessary. This silent time gave him some time to think and he realized that Bubbles was right, he didn't trust her all that much. He should have told her about Butch a long time ago but he didn't because he literally _hated_ him. It was sad that she had to learn the truth from someone he truly disliked. Not to mention the fact that he did use to follow her to parties and such back when they first starting going out but he had long since stopped, it must've not felt that long ago for Bubbles. She was right, she should be able to make her own judgments about people, and he would let her from this day on, but with Butch he would make sure that she heard him this time.

Boomer stopped eating, "Listen, you're right okay. I should have told you about Butch and I need to trust you more and give you more freedom. I'm sorry about everything, _but_," his voice got stern, "I'm not sorry about Butch. Listen, if you guys talked then you should know that we hate each other but that's not the only reason why I don't want you talking to him. He's irresponsible, irrational, and a maniac. He'll flip on you in an instant for no reason at all, I know, I lived with him for six miserable years."

He could clearly see that Bubbles had listened to him this time and could see that she had something to say in protest, "But-"

"Bubbles…" Boomer interrupted, looking hurt. He knew she would try to convince him that Butch was good and might have changed and everything but he didn't want to hear her defend his brother. It would have hurt him too much. Right now he was sure she could see how hurt he was that she was even _thinking_ about defending him, he couldn't have been that important to her.

"Okay, I'll stay away from Butch, but only if you promise to give me more freedom," she said.

Boomer looked at her and saw that she was sincere which made him feel more at ease, "I promise," he agreed.

"Good," Bubbles started, "now, how about after dinner we go back to your room and watch a movie and cuddle and stuff. Like we used to," she suggested flirtatiously and place her hand on his leg under the table.

He knew what she meant, and he smirked in agreement, "Alright, let's do it." Boomer leaned across the table and gave her a kiss, a sign that they were on good terms. He started eating again, having regained his appetite, and Bubbles continued to eat the rest of her salad too, but he couldn't help but have a little feeling that this situation was far from over.

* * *

><p><em>A young 12 year old boy got out of the car with a sour expression on his face. His father got out of the driver's seat and came around to meet his son. Both had black hair and you could see the resemblance in their facial features. "Well Butch, we're here, your new home," the man said with a gruff serious voice. <em>

_The boy looked up at the large home and you could see his frown get deeper, if that was possible. The man slowly pushed Butch towards the large estate, his feet dragging on the gravel, a futile effort which slowed down his father by only a little bit. As they reached the door his father said, "Listen, I know this isn't your home but you should grow to love it. You'll be here for a little while so…yeah," he ended awkwardly._

_Butch didn't say anything as his father opened the door, a scowl permanently on his face. Inside stood two boys and a woman. His father led him into the large foyer and closed the large wooden door. Butch's expression hadn't changed as he glared at the people now in front of him, only one of which didn't look ridiculously happy. Immediately he knew who they were but didn't recognize them, his mom had told him that he had two brothers. _

"_Butch, these are your brothers," his father started, "Boomer, the youngest," he motioned toward the smiling boy with blonde hair, who cheerily waved at him, making Butch frown even more, "and Brick, the oldest," he motioned to the other boy with red hair and red eyes who waved, looking bored. "This is my wife and your step-mother, Judi," she smiled and waved at him as well. Judi looked good for her age but not as good as his mother had been. With red hair and bright blue eyes she looked nice but Butch was not easily fooled—he learned early that appearances aren't everything. _

"_Hello dear, it's so great to finally meet you," she said in a cheery voice that Butch immediately knew was fake. He kept quiet and didn't respond which clearly threw the woman off, guess she wasn't used to kids with an attitude. _

_Butch smirked a little but it went away as the cheery blonde boy, Boomer his father had said, came up to him. "Hey it's pretty cool that you're here and I hope we can be good friends," his smile faltered as Butch didn't respond and only deepened his glare. "Your name's Butch, right," he tried again, "It's sad what happened to your mom but I guess it was for the best. I mean you get to live here now, how lucky is that?"_

_That immediately made Butch angry, mentioning his mom in any type of way was a sore subject for him, and he quickly snatched Boomer up by his shirt, "Listen you little _fucker_," he spat, "don't you ever talk about my mom again and if you do I will beat the shit out of you so badly that you won't be able to speak again with that pretty little mouth of yours," and just as fast as he snatched Boomer up he threw him on the ground. _

_Boomer was clearly startled and Butch saw that his threat was effective as the younger boy began to tear up on the floor. His father grabbed his shoulders, trying to restrain him just in case he made another move on the younger boy, but he had had enough and shrugged him off before storming up the stairs, away from the situation. He could hear his step-mom tending to his little brother before he went down a hallway and out of hearing range. His mother had always told him to learn how to control his anger, and that boy was really lucky that he held back because he would have had two black eyes by then. _

_Butch was wandering around the upper floor with no clear place to go—he was lost, but he sure as hell wasn't going back downstairs. "You're lost, aren't you," Butch turned around and saw the boy with the red hair and eyes, Brick, standing there with a smirk on his face. _

_He scowled, "No, I'm just walking around that's all," Butch said rebelliously as he continued walking and turned back around to the direction he was originally going in. _

"_Yeah, well your room's that way," Brick pointed in the direction that he had come and Butch could practically hear the smirk on his face. God, he hated know-it-alls, but not as much as he hated cheery punks like the kid downstairs. He turned around and went in the opposite direction, passing Brick on the way. He followed alongside him, "Listen, Boomer's not all bad, he's just stupid. I know you thought he was trying to piss you off but he wasn't, he was just being his dumb self. He's 'mommy's little boy' so he gets away with that crap," Brick explained._

_Even if he was stupid, saying things like that wasn't going to help his case, "I don't care if he's stupid," Butch started, "he better learn not to say shit like that again or else we're going to have a big problem."_

_Brick chuckled, "I like you, you seem a lot more interesting than the goody-two-shoes downstairs." Butch smirked, even if they had just met, he could tell that at least he could have one type of companion in this house. _

_Later that night, as Butch was about to go to sleep in his new much nicer room, he got hungry, guess he had forgotten to eat. Butch was no stranger to hunger but since he was in this nice house they had to have food around so why not take advantage of it. _

_He walked out of his room and down the hallway towards where he thought the staircase leading to downstairs was. In the middle of his walk, he overheard voices coming from a room with the door just slightly cracked. Light was streaming out from the crack and since he had nothing better to do, Butch decided to eavesdrop. _

"_What's wrong with that boy," his step-mother asked his father incredulously._

"_He just lost his mother, give him a break. Of course he's going to be emotional, anyone would be," his father defended. Now he knew that they were talking about him, and even though it hurt to hear him mention his mother, he only listened harder._

"_No but Mojo can't you see? He's rude and unstable! Normal people don't attack their new sibling and threaten them for no reason!" Boomer. He obviously hadn't told her the whole story and now she was talking down on him, what a bitch! "Why did you even bring him here? You should have just sent him to military school like I said. It's obvious that his deadbeat of a whore mother couldn't do anything to raise him so now he's just wild. I don't understand why we're doing this and putting our whole family under this stress."_

_Butch could feel his blood boil. The way this woman was talking, why didn't his dad defend him or his mother? He couldn't handle it, he didn't even bother to stay and hear whether his father was going to say something in his defense before he slammed their door shut, making it clearly known that he was listening. He ran all the way back to his room and shut the door and locked it. Butch climbed under his covers and then let his hot angry tears run down his face—he missed his mom._

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><p><strong>So how was it? Good, bad? Did you like it? Leave me a review and let me know! <strong>**:D**

**Until next time...**


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